A Heart that is Cold
by Locke3
Summary: Alternate Universe: Miyu is a detective, who is reluctantly pair up with Larva. Neither one of them like each other but they are destine to be together. What's going to happen?
1. Meeting

A Heart that is Cold 

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Important!!! I am very bad with my grammar but someone is nice enough to edit all of the chapters that I am going to publish. Her screen name is Rociellac...errr...actually I don't really know is she a girl or a guy. If you read this, please take some time to thank her for her effort because she took some of her time to give you a better version of this story. This story takes places in an alternate universe, and this is my first fanfic for Vampire Princess Miyu. I really don't know any places in Japan and the customs in it. So some of the information in here might be...okay...it is inaccurate. I hope you will put up with it, and I hope you will like this story. REVISE VERSION!_

  


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**Meeting**

  
  


_Tokyo...Japan_

  


Night had cast its shadow onto the streets of Japan as people rushed back to their home from a day of hard work. Shops were closing down as customers began to disappear and cars are emptying out from the streets as people drove back home. However, in a little isolated place in Tokyo, a little restaurant was still busily serving its customers. A single street lamp dimly lit the street of that restaurant and prostitutes outside were starting their work. In the restaurant, a waitress was calmly placing the drinks on one of the customer's table. She cunningly evaded their outreaching hands and headed back straight to the counter. A man sitting near the corner of the restaurant waved his hand to the waitress to call her over. Walking towards the calling man, she frowned as one of the men from the table where she put down the drinks started to whistle after her.

  


"Moron," she muttered under her breath. Her comment did not go unheard for the man sitting near the corner, who gave her an amused smile. "What do you want, sir?" she asked out loud. The man caught her eyes and lightly tapped her on the hand.

  


"Ranka, you should watch your language," he said quietly. "You don't want to offend them." He cleared his throat and announced that he would like to have the special for the night.

  


"Is that all, sir?" Ranka asked. She turned her head to look back at the table and finds those five men deep in conversation. She quickly turned back to address the young man in a soft and hush tone. "I don't care, Aoi. If one of them touch me again, I swear I will have their head."

  


"Just be patience." He gave another smile to the girl with shoulder-length black hair. "All we need is for them to show the disk and then..." He tapped her softly on the hand again. "You can then do whatever you want with them."

  


"This better works," she muttered.

  


"It will." She couldn't help but smile back at the light-haired young man (I don't know the real color of his hair because...well...black and white manga don't tell you what color). "And a cup of coffee, please. That will be all."

  


"Yes, sir." Ranka walked back straight to the counter and ignored the whistles that were addressed to her direction. She reluctantly served the food for those five men and continued to evade their eager hands. Aoi watched in amusement and brought out his newspaper to read. He smiled when he saw two of his partners entering the restaurant. One of them claimed a table near the front entrance and another, who went by the name of Ichiro, took the table near the back. Ranka served them efficiently and their orders were quickly placed before them. For fifteen minutes, the only noise that filled the restaurant are munches from the customers. As half an hour passed by, Aoi started to get a little bit uncomfortable.

  


"This doesn't seem right," he thought to himself. "Why aren't they doing the exchange yet?" His eyes caught Ranka's and she seemed to be asking the same question. "Did they found us out?" His questions were soon answered because just another minute later, the men from the table finally put down their forks. Ranka walked toward the cashier area and flicks on the tape recorder that was strapped right under their table. Aoi, on the other hand, was secretly recording their movement. The fattest man was the first to speak. He was known as Red in his world and was infamous for his coward but intelligent planning. His two partners, who sat beside him on each side, were not as smart but were as brave as lions. Red leaned forward to get a closer look of the buyer and smiled when he saw the other man's bodyguard raised a hand to stop him. He settled back down his chair and started to tap the table with an annoying rhythm.

  


"Have you followed my instruction?" The buyer, who was a lean man, nodded. Red turned to look at one of his partner and signalled. His partner took out his laptop to check if the deposit had been made to their bank. After a few minute of typing, he nodded to confirm the transaction.

  


"The disk," the buyer asked flatly. "Where is the disk?"

  


"Slow down," Red replied. "It's here." He looked at his other partner and the latter put his hand in his pocket. He took out the disk and handed it to the buyer. The buyer took out his own laptop and inserted the disk in it. When he nodded his head to affirm the validity of the disk, Aoi sprang up on his feet.

  


"Hold it right there," Aoi shouted. The five people from that table stood up and looked at him. They cursed when they found the other two men had already blocked the exits and Ranka had her gun pointing at their direction. "I will advice you to..." He never did finish his sentence because Red threw a knife right at Aoi's direction. Aoi ducked from the knife and was furious to find one of Red's partner had tackled him. Ranka's gun got knocked out of her hand by the buyer before she could fire it. She blocked his punch and kneed him on his stomach. Her fists met the back of his head and he was render unconscious after that impact. Red, in the mean time, had grabbed the disk and pushed past Ichiro who was guarding the back exit. Red's other partner wrestled with Ichiro to allow Red to escape, whereas the buyer's bodyguard was fighting the guard from the front entrance. Aoi easily dispatched his opponent with two swift punches on the stomach. He helped the front guard to knock out the bodyguard with an uppercut. Ranka kicked the other partner on the stomach while Ichiro finished it up with an punch on the head.

  


"Red," Ranka shouted as she turned to chase after him. However, Aoi calmly pulled her back.

  


"Don't worry," he said. "He is not getting away that easily. Let's just clean up this place."

  


******

  


Red was running through the back alley of the restaurant as he hurried on to his hideout. On his way, he bumped into a young teenage boy, who was asking for the price of a beautiful prostitute.

  


"Hey," the boy exclaimed as he looked toward Red. "Watch where ya' going." The boy shook his fist at Red's face but quickly withdrew it when he recognized who it was. "Boss?"

  


"Tenchi," Red exclaimed. "Is that you?"

  


"Yeah, boss. What's the matter?"

  


"The cops...they are after me." Tenchi frowned and looked around him. He spat at the prostitute and pushed her away. She gave him a glare before she moved on to find her next customer.

  


"Come on," Tenchi said. "I'll take you to safety." He started to walk away with Red following close behind him. With great speed, they weaved through the dark alleys and past the searching lights of the cops. After fifteen minutes of walking, Red was gasping for air.

  


"How long," he asked Tenchi desperately.

  


"Not very long, boss." For the next three minutes, Red's steps started to slow down, and he had to hold on to Tenchi's shirt so he would not lose him. He sighed in relief when Tenchi finally stopped.

  


"Where is this place," Red asked. He looked around and was shocked to find out that Tenchi had lead him to a dead end. "What is the meaning of this?" He quickly shut up when he heard the click of a gun. Tenchi's brown eyes glimmered in amusement as he watched Red's face.

  


"I think I will do the asking from now on, Red." He stretched out his hand toward Red. "Do you have the disk?"

  


Red shook off his fear and calmly looked back at Tenchi. His eyes remain glued to the gun but there was no way he was going to give up his disk to a traitor. "No, I don't have it. I have already given it to the buyer." He flinched when the gun went off. The bullet grazed his cheek and buried itself in the wall behind. There was no way that Red could hide his fear any longer.

  


"I'm tired and so are you," Tenchi said with amusement. "I don't like to play game. I will ask you one more time before I decide to place a bullet in your heart and search for it myself. Now, do you have the disk?"

  


"I...I..." Red stumbled but he knew he could not lie to Tenchi. Tenchi's gun remained steadily pointed towards his chest and his eyes displayed no mercy. Red reached in his pocket but quickly stopped himself when he saw Tenchi was about to pull the trigger. "I was just going to get the disk for you," he whimpered. "The disk is inside this pocket." To his surprise, Tenchi lowered his gun and gave out a laugh. With a snap of his fingers, light filled up the alley and guns were pointed at Red's direction.

  


"In the name of the law," said Tenchi. "You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silence and the right to an attorney." Tenchi walked up close to Red and smiled right at him. "However, I don't think it will do you any good." Red spat on his face in anger. Tenchi continued to smile at him as he wiped his face.

  


"You damn traitor," Red swore. "I will get you for this. I will..." He never did get to finish his sentence because Tenchi punched him right in the stomach and thereby knocked him out. The rest of the cops closed in as Tenchi walked away from Red. He met up with Aoi and Ranka. Ranka gave Tenchi a frown and addressed him.

  


"Miyu," she said. "That punch is going to get you in trouble, you know."

  


"Let's see if I care," Miyu replied. She pulled off her cap and her long brown hair cascaded down to her back. She took off the voice changer that was strap right on her throat and handed it to Aoi. "Tenchi is no more now that Miyu is back." She lightly tossed her gun to Ichiro and headed off to her motorcycle. Ranka, Aoi, and Ichiro watched her as she sped off back home.

  


*******

  


"FOR GOD SAKE, MIYU. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEAN?!!!" Miyu calmly sat on her chair while her supervisor yelled at the top of his voice. It seems that Red was awfully mad at her and was filing a complaint. "HE IS COMPLAINING THAT YOU ASSULTED HIM!"

  


"I was just defending myself," Miyu calmly answered back. Her eyes displayed no interest and her fingers idly played with her hair. "He spat on me and I hit him. What's the problem with it?"

  


"Miyu! This is a police assult and he is the victim. You can go to jail for what you have done."

  


"Then it is just my words against his. Let's just see whose does the jury like."

  


Her supervisor sighed and sat back down on his chair. He knew Miyu's personality, and it annoyed him like heck that she did not care about such an important issue. "Oh well," he thought. "I think pigs would have been flying if she has reacted in a different way." He turned to look at the sixteen-year-old girl sitting right opposite to him. It had been three years since she was put under his team. At the beginning, he was extraordinarily happy to have a legend's daughter (Miyu's father was a cop and an extremely good one...his history will be reveal in the future chapters) in his department. However, after one month with her, he was ready to call the quit. There was nothing wrong with her working capability, for she was a very efficient one. She held the record for solving the most cases of crimes in his department after one year. However, she was poor in her social department. Heck, complaints about her attitude already reached him after the first day. She tended to isolate herself and did not like company. It was accurate to say that she made as much enemy in this department as those criminals she had captured. The only people that could tolerate her were Ranka, Aoi, and Ichiro. It was least to say that all of the people found her irritating and annoying. This was not because she bothered them, but her air of uncaring and calmness bugged the living daylight out of everyone. Even in anger, she gave you a little smile and calmly replied back your retorts. He sighed. "However, her capability makes up for it," he thought. "She just have love hate relationship with everyone. They can't help but to admire her ability but they hate her for her attitude. I guess you can't have everything in life." He frowned when his eyes met one of the files that were placed on his desk. "I just hope she takes this news well." He smiled. "This might be the first time I see her blows up in real anger."

  


"Are you done, sir?" Miyu's voice brought him back to the present. She was about to stand up but did when Van (that was the supervisor's name) indicated that he had not finished with her.

  


He cleared his throat and handed her a file. Miyu took it and opened it up. If she was surprised, she did not show it. Inside the folder, there was only a picture of a man. His age was approximately older than her by six or seven years. His red eyes looked out to the camera in a serious expression and his baby blue hair was arranged messily on top of his head. Miyu flipped the photograph to look at the back but found nothing written on it.

  


"What do you want me to do," Miyu asked flatly as she handed the folder back to him. Van smiled at her as he anticipated her reaction.

  


"His name is Larva," said Van. "Miyu, because of all the complaints we are getting about you, the head of this police station have decided to assign you with a partner." To his annoyance, Miyu did not burst out in anger. She just smiled at him. Van took a drink from his glass of water because he knew he was treading on dangerous ground. He quickly walked up to his door and called out to his secretary. "Miyu, Larva will be your partner from now on. He just got transfer from LA and is a very skill detective." Just as he finished that sentence, Larva came strolling into the office. He took one glance at Miyu before he addressed Van.

  


"She is just a girl."

  


******

  


Larva took a sip from his cup of coffee and put it back on the table. Miyu, on the other hand, was toying with her glass of tomato juice. When she ordered it, Larva could hardly suppress his surprise at her kind of taste. "Who drinks tomato juice because it is refreshing," he thought to himself as he pondered her answer to his surprise. Now, they had been sitting here for half an hour and neither one of them had said anything to the other. His eyes met Miyu's as they looked at each other. For one reason or another, he found her smile intimidating.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"She is just a girl."_

  


_Miyu gave Larva an amused smile and replied smoothly back to him. "And you are just a man."_

  


_Van looked at Larva and back at Miyu. His glance kept switching between those two as they eyed each other._

  


_"Is she my partner," Larva asked._

  


_"I'm afraid I am," Miyu replied. "I ought to like you because you are so beautiful but since you insulted me, I think I will just have to change my point of view."_

  


_Larva returned her smile and walked up close to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and leaned in toward her. Their faces were just an inch apart from each other. "You're pretty cute yourself, little girl."_

  


_"Thank you, old man."_

  


_Van cleared his throat to loosen the tension in the room. Larva released Miyu and they turned to look at Van. "I think you guys will have a lot to talk about since you guys are partner from now on. Uhm...good luck on your partnership." Miyu flashed Van a smile before she jumped up from the chair and headed for the door. Larva frowned and started to follow her. He stopped when Van placed his hand on his shoulder. "I would advise you," Van said nervously. "Miyu is not someone you would like to mess with."_

  


_"Neither am I." He shrugged off Van's hand and walked out the room. He found Miyu waiting for him around the corner. He walked up to her and nodded his head towards the direction of the exit. "Thirsty?"_

  


_"Yes."_

  


_*Flashback*_

  


And here they were, sitting across a table. Miyu didn't want to have him riding on her motorcycle and Larva was not too thrilled to have her riding on his. So the two arrived at the café in separate rides and ordered a table for two.

  


Miyu finally stopped playing with her drink and started to speak to Larva. "I think we should get something straight," she started off.

  


"What is it?"

  


"I never did work with a partner before. Did not need one in the past...and I don't need one right now."

  


"Neither do I." Larva gave Miyu a serious look as they held each other's eyes. "I was forced into this. If I had my choice, I would not have picked a little girl to be my partner."

  


"And I would not have picked an old man for my partner."

  


"Your age is not that much younger than mine, little girl."

  


"And your age is not that much older than mine, old man." She gave him a little smile as he frowned at her.

  


"You are starting to make me angry," Larva replied in a cold and steady tone. "I can frankly tell you that I don't like you."

  


"No insult taken. The feeling is mutual. I am glad to find that you are getting angry because I am as well," Miyu giggled.

  


"So what do you propose before we decide to tear at each other's throat?" Miyu stopped laughing and for the first time, Larva actually saw her with a serious expression. She leaned forward towards him and like before, their face lay only an inch away from each other.

  


"You stick out of my business, and I will stick out of yours," Miyu said. "Whatever you do is not my business. I don't care if you go around chasing after another girl or anything else that you do. Just don't bug me and stay out of my business."

  


"You just insulted me, my dear Miyu," he replied. "But we have a deal. Whatever you do is none of my business and whatever I do is none of yours." His reply seemed to please Miyu because she returned to her smiling self. "Now, would you just lean back before I decide to kiss you." Larva was pleased to find Miyu frowning from what he said. She sat back on her chair. Larva finished off his coffee and Miyu took a sip from her juice. She reached for her cell phone and answered it when it rang.

  


"It's time to go, my dear Larva," she said to him as she hung up the phone. "Duty calls for us." She paid for her drink and Larva paid for his. As they got on their motorcycles, Larva turned to ask Miyu a question.

  


"Are you going to tell me whenever there is a case?"

  


"Nope, only this time." She put on her helmet and started the engine. "Think of it as a welcoming gift."

  


"Thank you." With that said, they sped off towards the crime scene.

  
  
  


Author's note: Okay, I know it is not much but this is getting a little bit tough. I still need to think of what else to write. Tell me what you guys think, because I am really going to appreciate it. I hope you guys like it though.


	2. Partnership

A Heart that is Cold 

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Acknowledgement: This is a revise version. All of the grammatic errors and wrong wording are corrected by Rociellac. Thank you!!!!_

  


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**Partnership**

  
  


By the time Miyu and Larva reached the scene, the crowd was already gathering around it. The cops were busy pushing the curious crowds back away from the scene so they would not destroy any of evidence. Stopping their engines, Miyu and Larva took off their helmets and put on their badges. They pushed through the crowds and flash their badges to the cops that were guarding the scene. Miyu quickly stepped into the house with Larva following right behind her. She turned to address the cop that is standing near the entrance of the door.

  


"Where?"

  


"In the living room, detective. Ranka, Ichiro, and Aoi are already in there." Miyu nodded her head and walked into the living room. Ichiro was brushing the room with some white powder to look for any left fingerprints. Ranka was closely examining the interior of the house as she takes down any information that could serve as a clue for this case. Aoi, on the other hand, was talking to the doctor that had examined the body. They all turned to look at Miyu and Larva when they entered the room. As Miyu looked around the surrounding, Larva went to a table and pulls out two pair of latex gloves from a box placed there by the police. He handed one pair to Miyu and put on the other pair. Done with this typical procedure, they walked up to Ranka.

  


"What's the news," asked Miyu. Ranka stopped her note-taking and handed over some paper to Miyu.

  


"The name of the victim is Yuriko Kinomoto. Age: 24. The rest of the information are in those paper," Ranka replied. "This morning at 8:00 am, her boyfriend, Tsukasa Inoue, found her body in the living room. A cop, who was patrolling this area, happened to be passing by when he jammed out of the house screaming for help. She immediately called the police and well...here we are."

  


Miyu flipped through the papers quickly but could not find any information that was relevant to the case. The papers only contained basic information about the victim and her boyfriend. She handed the papers over Larva and he quickly scanned through them. "Is this all the information that you have," Larva asked flatly.

  


"The rest of the information is with the first cop. She took down the evidence from the boyfriend before we arrived. By the time we got here, the boyfriend had already left." Larva frowned at that news. He turned to look at Miyu and was not surprised to find her smiling to herself. He continued his questioning.

  


"Where is she?"

  


"Back at her office."

  


"What is she doing over there? Aren't she suppose to stay here so we can get the information from her?"

  


"Because this area is not under our supervision, my dear Larva," Miyu answered him with a smile. "Homicidal is not under our department, in case you have not noticed. Our department deals with drugs."

  


"Then why are we here, my little Miyu?" asked Larva.

  


"The answer is quite obvious. Her death must be related to drugs." Larva felt like shaking her as she started to giggle to herself. It took almost all his self-control to restrain himself from doing so. He left her with her amusement and walked up to Aoi. To his annoyance, the body had been removed from the scene and the only thing he could see was the white outline where the body had been found.

  


"I think I should be grateful that the doctor is still here," Larva thought to himself. Aoi smiled at him and asked the doctor to repeat himself.

  


"As I said before," the doctor repeated in irritation. "The victim must have been killed around 10pm-12am last night. A closer reading to the time of her death can be given after I have examined her body in my laboratory. Until then, I cannot give you any other information."

  


"Was she strangled to death or did she die from an overdose," asks Aoi.

  


"I said I don't know. I need to do an autopsy before I can give you a definite answer. Are you done with the questioning, detective?"

  


Aoi looked through his notes, which was not that much to say the least, and nodded. The doctor picked up his bag and left the room. Before Larva could ask any questions, Aoi started to talk.

  


"The victim was found lying on this floor." Aoi turned to point at the overturned coffee table that was by the sofa and pointed at the coat hanger stand that was standing near the victim's body. "This is what we deduce from the evidences left in this room. At around 10pm last night, the victim was taking her drug on the sofa." Miyu walked up to Aoi and Larva as they examined the overturned coffee table. On the floor, a jar, filled with cocaine had spilled its contents over the whole floor. The needle that issued the deadly injection was lying a foot away from it. Miyu and Larva mentally noted the date on the jar. "Either it was too dark for her or her inexperience with the drug, she mistook too much of it. As the drug started to take effect, she realized she must have taken too much of the drug. She stood up and accidentally knocked over the coffee table. As she tried to walk to the phone to call for help, she stumbled and fell down." He lead them to the coat hanger and gave them a plastic bag. Inside the plastic bag was a piece of cloth. "Her scarf must have caught the coat hanger when she fell. Choking and dying from the overdose, she never did reach the phone. She just died right over here."

  


"Very dramatic," Miyu claimed.

  


"Too dramatic if you ask me," Aoi answered. "However, we don't know if this is a natural death or a murder."

  


"Have you questioned the neighbours yet?" Larva asked. When Aoi shook his head, Larva mentally noted himself to do so. Miyu gave a little sigh and turned to walk away.

  


"I think there is nothing we can do until we talk with the cop who made the first discovery." She turned to address Ranka. "What is the name of that cop?" Ranka gave her a smile before she answered.

  


"Reiha." Larva noticed the slight frown on Miyu's face when she heard that name.

  


"I guess we will just have to talk to her," she said flatly. "Ichiro, did you find any fingerprints?" Ichiro shook his head to answer no. Miyu giggled and stretched herself. "Of course not. I'm going outside." With that said, Miyu strolled out the living room, leaving the others behind. Larva turned to leave the room when Aoi stopped him.

  


"How is your partnership going?" They all looked at Larva with great interest and amusement as they anticipated his answer.

  


"She calls me an old man," Larva coolly replied. Aoi, Ranka, and Ichiro laughed at that answer.

  


"Good start," said Aoi. "Wouldn't expect less from our Miyu." He walked up to Larva and put out his hand. Larva looked at it before he shook it. "Name's Aoi. That is Ranka and the one over there is call Ichiro."

  


"Larva."

  


"I know." He turned to go back to his work. But before he did so, he handed Larva a card. "You are an interesting character. If you are interested, we are meeting at my father's dojo to do some sparing tonight. I will be delighted to see you there."

  


Larva looked at the card and put it in his pocket. "Thank you." With that said, he left the house and headed towards the neighbour's house. He noticed that Miyu was standing outside the victim's window and looking around the place in a heedless mood. She went down on her knees and played with the flowers growing near the window. He ignored her and knocked on the neighbour's door. She greeted him with eagerness and let him into her house. When Larva had settled down on one of the chair, he started to fire his questions.

  


"What were you doing yesterday night," asked Larva.

  


"Well, you see sir," she answered in excitement. "I was out dinning with my husband yesterday night because he just got a promotion. He has been working for that company for three years and they never did pay him well. Well yesterday..." Larva inwardly groaned when she went on with her insignificant narration. He smiled politely to her and waited patiently for her to get back onto the topic. "So after we have finish our dinner, he took me out for a nice stroll in the park. It has been years since we did that." She giggled and Larva attempted to smile. "It was so romantic. We didn't reach home until it was ten o'clock at night."

  


"Did you notice anything that was unusual with your neighbour when you got home?"

  


She sat there and thought for a while before she answered. "Actually, I don't think so. Her living room light was on and the music was blaring when we got home. You see, I never did understand..."

  


Larva quickly cut her off with another question. "When did the music stop playing?"

  


She frowned at Larva's rudeness but she answered him nonetheless. "It must have stopped approximately at eleven o'clock. My husband and I went to bed at 11:30 and her house was already dark about that time." Larva nodded his head and switched gear.

  


"Mrs. Kazuya," Larva began. "I see that you are a smart lady." She blushed under his compliment. "I understand that you have good judgment. Now, I would like to ask you to give me your opinion about your neighbour, Miss. Kinomoto."

  


She hesitated before she answered him. "Well, Mr...uhmm...what's your name, Mr detective?"

  


"West. Larva West."

  


"Okay, Mr. West. You see...I don't like to talk bad things behind people's back, especially when they are dead." She shivered at the thought of it. "But, since you ask me, I guess I should tell you what I think." Her face was set firmly on a frown when she thought about the victim. "Well, first of all, she was no decent lady. Yeah, she might have a boyfriend but that didn't stop her from dressing so provocative. Young girls these days...they have no respect for modesty."

  


Larva nodded and disregarded some of the unnecessary opinions. "How was her character like? How was her relationship with her boyfriend?"

  


"Oh, lord," she gasped. Her eyes widened in excitement. "I don't like starting scandals."

  


"This is not a scandal if you are telling the truth."

  


"Well, if you insist..." Her eyes flashed with eagerness and somehow, Larva couldn't help but thinking that this had to be some sort of cruel and unusual punishment. "Well, her relationship with her boyfriend was fairly good, I think. You see...he was such a nice boy." She sighed and smiled as she thought of him. "He was very kind to her and very devoted to her. Oh like last time..."

  


"Oh boy," Larva thought as she rambled off to something that was irrelevant. "Here she goes again." Larva nodded his head as Mrs. Kazuya told him an intriguing story...well...in her point of view, about how Mr. Inoue helped her with her garden and how he had ever been so nice to a middle age lady. By the time she finished, Larva was ready to bang his head on the wall to escape from his misery.

  


"Oh but, Miss. Kinomoto, she was not a nice lady. She was constantly starting fights with him. It was only two days ago when they were having a row." Larva sat up in alarm.

  


"What where they arguing about?" She gave him an offended look.

  


"I don't eardrop on other people's conversations."

  


"I'm not saying that you were...but, I am just wondering did you just happen to overheard what they were talking about. You see, it can be important to the case."

  


"Well, to tell you the truth...I wasn't able to hear them." Larva sighed inwardly to himself. "But, Mr. Shirow came by and told me about it. You see...he is a friend of theirs and a very handsome young man. Why last time..." Larva quickly jumped in before she could say another word.

  


"What did he say to you?" He ignored her frown because there was no way he was going to listen to anymore of her story.

  


"He told me that they were having a row." She gave him a scandalous look. She instinctively lowered her voice and leaned toward him. "He said that they were arguing because she was two-timing on him."

  


"Did he tell you who was the other man?"

  


"Oh no!" She shook her head and leaned back to her chair. "Of course not. He would not tell me about it. That is, he didn't even know who it was either. He was just going over there when he overheard their conversation. Not wanting to interrupt them, he came out over here and decided to talk to me."

  


"I see," said Larva. He pushed his chair back and stood up. "I'm really grateful for all of your help." He stretched out his hand and formally shook hers. "Congratulations on your husband's promotion. I hope you will have a wonderful life together."

  


"Oh, thank you, Mr. West." She followed him to the door. "Would you be delighted to stay for lunch? I am cooking..."

  


"No thank you," Larva replied as he quickly jumped out from the house. "I still have a lot of things to do. See you around." Once out, Larva sighed and thought to himself. "Mental notes to myself: when encountering different witnesses, apply whatever method to get the details you need. However, when you encounter a talkative lady...be blunt!" To his dismay, Miyu was watching him and giggling softly to herself. Ranka and Ichiro were standing near the outside window and taking some pictures. "She must have noticed my hasty retreat." He turned away from her. "I'm glad she is enjoying the show," he thought sarcastically. "However, I would rather face Miyu than that lady." He made a quick phone call to the police station before he drove off to find his next clue.

  


******

  


"Boy, was that a good meal!" Cain patted his stomach in satisfaction and picked his teeth with a toothpick. He stepped out of the restaurant and decided to take a stroll around the streets. He had only taken less than ten steps when he noticed a person standing around the corner. It didn't take him long to recognize her. "AW...HELL!!!" He shouted out loud in frustration when he saw Miyu smiling at him. "Let's just get this damn thing over with!" He walked up to her and followed her into an alley.

  


"Am I so horrible that you detest seeing me so much?" Miyu asked with a playful pout.

  


"You damn right you are," he answered with a growl. They finally stopped at an isolated area. "Every time I see you, something horrible always happen. Last time I saw you, I broke up with my girlfriend because she thought I was two-timing on her!"

  


"I'm sorry."

  


"Shut up! You and I both know that you don't mean it!" Miyu giggled at his outburst. He flashed her an annoying look.

  


"That is why I love you, Cain." He gave her a startled look. He frowned when he saw her smiling face and leaned his back on the wall.

  


"You always have a way to spook me," he replied. "Now what do you want?" Miyu took out a photo from her pocket and showed it to him. To Miyu's surprise, although she didn't show it, Cain cursed out loud.

  


"Damn it! I just got badgered about this by another cop today." Cain stopped his rampage when he noticed the flash of surprise though Miyu's eyes. However, it disappeared as fast as it had appeared, and it left him standing there silent for a while, pondering if he had just imagined it.

  


"Do you know the name of the cop?"

  


"Heck no! Like he was going to tell me." Cain tossed Yuriko's photo back to her.

  


"How did he look like?"

  


"He was taller than me and his attitude was as bad as yours." Cain noticed the smile on Miyu's face and decided it would be wise not to insult her anymore. "His hair color was light blue and his eyes were devilish red." He reached into his pocket and showed her three pieces of paper. On each of them, a name and a phone number was written. "And here are the evidences on how handsome he was."

  


"When did he question you?"

  


"Fifteen minutes ago. I was just sitting down to enjoy my lunch when he popped out of nowhere." His eyes flashed with anger. "He almost blew my cover when he showed me his badge. I was just glad that there wasn't anyone important present at the time." To his annoyance, Miyu's eyes shone with amusement. "Man, you are so damn irritating!"

  


"The photo?"

  


"Alright! Here is the information that I gave him and this is all I have. First of all, I don't know who she is. I never saw anyone that looked like her around here. Second, there haven't been a lot of people buying cocaine around here for a while. This is all due to you." Miyu raised her eyebrow and continued to smile. "Third and final information, for this past few weeks, the only customers we had were all males and all of them were new customers. If she did get her supply from over here, she must have brought it from one of the customers. Now, does that answer your questions?"

  


"Almost." Miyu took out another picture and showed it to him. "Do you recognizes this person?" Cain thought for a while as he tried to recall that person's face.

  


"I can't say for sure but it certainly does look familiar." Miyu nodded her head and tucked the photo back into her pocket.

  


"Thank you," she said softly. "I really appreciate your help."

  


"You'd better," he muttered. He walked beside her as they went back out the street.

  


"I guess I will be seeing you in the future again." Miyu giggled when Cain rolled his eyes. Before he could reply, a jacket hit him squarely on his face. He turned to his left and was prepared to yell at the person who threw it, but was shocked to find his girlfriend standing there in great anger.

  


"Lina! Why are you here?"

  


"To find you!" She glared at him and Miyu. Miyu smiled at her as she got onto her motorcycle. "Are you two-timing on me, Cain?!"

  


"This is not what you think, Lina!"

  


"Then what is it, huh?"

  


Miyu put on her helmet and started the engine. "I'll see you around, Cain dear." Miyu sped off while Cain turned bright red.

  


"Damn you," he shouted right after Miyu.

  


"What did you say?!!!"

  


"I wasn't cursing you, Lina!"

  


******

  


Larva parked his motorcycle in the driveway and stepped into the building. He pushed the elevator button and took a last look at the piece of paper in his hand. A woman walked up next to him and started to look at him. Larva ignored her glances as he waited for the elevator to reach ground floor. When it finally arrived, he stepped into it with the woman following closely behind. He reached for the fifth-floor button but quickly pulled back his hand when he saw her reaching for the same button. A flash of disappointment appeared on the woman's face when Larva pulled his hand back. The rest of the ride was quite uneventful, and Larva couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased to get ride of her when he finally reached the destination.

  


"Do you have an appointment, sir?" the secretary asked. Larva shook his head and took out his badge. The secretary frowned when she saw it. "Mr. Inoue is currently busy with another member of your team. If you would please wait for a moment..."

  


"What is the name of the cop," asked Larva as he cut her off. He ignored the frown she gave him and caught his badge when she tossed it back to him.

  


"Her name seems to be Miyu." Larva nodded his head in amusement.

  


"How long has she been in there?"

  


"A minute before you."

  


"Good." Disregarding the secretary's protest, Larva opened the door to Mr. Inoue's office. Miyu was sitting in a chair and turned to look at him as he bursted into the room. Mr. Inoue stood up while the secretary was trying to apologize for this interruption. Before Mr. Inoue could asks what was going on, Larva showed him his badge and sat down next to Miyu. "Do you mind," he asked Miyu.

  


"We were waiting for you." Larva gave her a questioning look. She caught his glance and held it steadily for a few second. To his surprise, she did not smile at him. Mr. Inoue dismissed his secretary. She closed the door before she left the room. "You're late."

  


"I got lost." Miyu nodded her head and looked away from him. "She must have pay Cain a visit," he thought to himself. He turned to look at Tsukasa Inoue and mentally noted his appearance. "It must be hard on him. He looks just plain devilish." Larva was not exaggerating when that thought cross his mind. The man's hair was uncombed and his eyes were swollen from crying. His nicely ironed brown-suit was now full of wrinkles and was tossed carelessly on his chair. His tie was hanging loosely on his collar. He sighed and took Larva's offered hand in his. "I am sorry for the interruption. I am detective Larva West," said Larva.

  


"Oh yes, Mr. West," Tsukasa replied with a small smile. "Miss. Yamano was telling me about you." Larva was a little bit surprised but he didn't show it. Miyu reached in her pocket and pulled out some pieces of paper. Larva caught them when she tossed it towards him. He looked at them and gave Miyu a questioning look.

  


"They are your admirers," she simply replied. Larva nodded and tossed the paper into the nearby trashcan. "Mr. Inoue, I think we can start the questioning now that detective West is here."

  


"I will answer to the best of my ability."

  


"Mr. Inoue," Larva began. He slightly noticed the frown on Miyu's face. "Please give us, to the most accurate details, an account on your actions from yesterday night to the time you discover Miss. Kinomoto."

  


"Yesterday, I had a company meeting from 4:00-6:00pm. However, the meeting ran late, and I didn't get off until it was 7:00pm. Yesterday was a very busy day because one of my workers happened to have caught a cold, and I had to finish his unfinished work. I gave Yuriko a call to tell her not wait for me as I was going to be working late and I was going to hang out with Yuji afterward..."

  


"Who is Yuji," Miyu interrupted.

  


"He is a friend of Yuriko and I. His whole name is Yuji Shirow. I met him three years ago on a business trip. It was him who introduced me to Yuriko." He sighed when his mind drifted back to those happy memories.

  


"Please continue where you left off," said Larva.

  


"Yuriko told me not to work too hard and that she loved me." His face crumbled up with sorrow. "I didn't know that would be the last time I would get to hear her voice." Larva and Miyu watched him as he dissolved into tears. Neither one of them bothered to say anything. All kinds of sympathetic words were useless. Nothing could bring Yuriko back to him. Nothing. They could only offer silent comfort and that was what they were doing.

  


After ten minutes, Tsukasa finally had his emotions under control. He apologized to them and continued his story in a hoarse tone. "After hanging up the call to Yuriko, I asked my secretary to help me buy my dinner because I was busy with my work. She ordered delivery, and I ate my dinner at around 8 p.m. After that, I stayed in my office working on the current project. My secretary came into my office around ten to say goodnight and from then on, I stayed here for another thirty minutes. Before leaving the building, I said good-night to the security guard. That was around 10:45."

  


"Why are you so certain that it was 10:45?"

  


"Because the guard was talking to me about the soccer tournament that was playing yesterday night. He dragged me to his little TV, and I noticed the time because it was being displayed on the TV screen."

  


"Continue," said Miyu.

  


"I reached Yuji's house around 11:25." His face gave off a slight blush of embarrassment. "When I reached there, Yuji was furious with me. You see, I shut down my cell phone because I did not want it to interrupt me while I was working. It turned out that Yuji and I were supposed to meet each other at 10:30. He gave my cell phone a call, and he wasn't able to reach me. When he called Yuriko, she told him that I was working late. He tried to reach me at my office but I also pulled out the plug of my office telephone." Larva opened his mouth to ask a question but Tsukasa answered him before he could start his question. "I'd like to focus on my work. I don't like interruption when I am working. It tends to distract me."

  


"What made you think that you were supposed to meet Mr. Shirow at 11:30 instead of your scheduled time at 10:30?" Tsukasa gave Larva an embarrassed look as he answered Larva's question.

  


"To tell you the truth, I am very poor with scheduling. I tend to forget the time of my meeting if I do not write it down in this little booklet of mine." He showed them a little black booklet. In it, there were a bunch of times and meetings scribbled down. He showed them the page that contained yesterday's schedule. "I somehow messed up and wrote 11:30 instead of 10:30 down in the schedule." He closed his black booklet and put it away. "Anyway, Yuji punished me for my lateness by having me pay for all his drinks that night. We went to our usual bar and talked about our works. Yuji is a play writer and he is very good at it. Some of his plays are going to be made into movies. Why he..." He stopped his story-telling mode when he saw the frown on Larva's face. Miyu, on the other hand, wais giggling to herself. "Well, uhmm...we didn't leave the bar until it was three in the morning. I drove Yuji home because he was dead drunk and put him on his bed. I didn't leave his house until it was 4:30. At that time, I was planning to drive back home but I was getting so sleepy that my driving would be a hazard to everyone. Therefore, I took a short nap inside my car and I didn't wake up until it was 7:00. From there, I drove back home to find...to find..." His face filled with sorrow again but this time he did not cry. "I saw her lying on the floor with white foam coming out of her mouth. Her eyes stared out at me and...the next thing I knew, I went flying out of the house calling for help."

  


"You ran into detective Reiha and then she called the police," finished Miyu. "Did you tell her the exact details that you have told us?"

  


"No," he said quietly. "I think I told you guys more than I did her. I was shocked at that time. When she dismissed me, I didn't know where to go. The next thing I knew, I had driven myself back to this office and had been trying to take my mind off this case by working my head off."

  


With a few more questions asked, Larva and Miyu stood up to leave. Miyu accidentally dropped the pen she was playing with and went down on her knee to get it. When she got up, Larva noticed a frown on her face. They left the unfortunate man and confirmed some part of his story by taking the secretary's evidence. When Larva and Miyu got on their motorcycles, they both knew where they were heading next. Although they knew that they were heading for the same witness, neither one of them publicly acknowledged that fact.

  


Miyu reached Yuji Shirow's house before Larva because he was following after her. As she was introducing herself, Larva pulled up beside her. With the proper introductions done, Miyu and Larva were invited into the house. Yuji apologized to them regarding his messy living room. Books, clothing, and other appliances were lying around everywhere. Larva quickly took his shoes off and puts it near one of Yuji's muddy shoes. As Larva turned to walk into Yuji's living room, Miyu took off her shoes and put it next to Larva's. She turned around just in time to see Larva tripping over one of Yuji's shirts and went flying across the room.

  


"I'm sorry, detective West." Yuji quickly helped Larva up to his feet and sat him on a sofa. Larva was extremely annoyed to find Miyu smiling at him.

  


"What are you thinking, my dear Miyu?"

  


She sat down before him before she replied. "You should watch where you are going, old man. Your bones might not be able to handle anymore of your clumsiness."

  


"Thank you for your advice, little girl. However, you should watch where you sit before you actually sit down." Miyu stood up and looked at her seat. She couldn't find anything wrong with the seat. "Another advice. Don't believe in everything people tell you." Her eyes burned with anger but were quickly replaced by amusement. She gave him a smile before sitting back down next to him.

  


"I will remember your advice. However, I never did expect you to pull off such a childish prank."

  


"I wasn't playing around with you," he replied coolly. He gave Miyu a smile that was quite similar to hers. "I was just testing your alertness. I didn't know that you are so gullible."

  


Yuji cleared his throat as he watched the electricity coursing between the two. "Uhmm...what can I do for you?" From that point on, Miyu and Larva forgot about their little battle and started to fire questions at Yuji. From his words, they received the same information that Tsukasa had told them. "Yes, he is very forgetful," Yuji explained to them when they asked him about Tsukasa's characteristics. "His life is totally depended on that black booklet of his."

  


"Mr. Shirow," said Larva. "I heard that Mr. Inoue and Miss. Kinomoto often fought with each other. Two days ago, they were having an argument. Can you tell me what they were arguing about?"

  


Yuji scowled and he cursed Mrs. Kazuya for being such a big mouth. "Why do you want to know?"

  


"It is our duty to know everything, Mr. Shirow. Now will you answer my question?"

  


"I don't know what they were arguing about," he replied back firmly. "Mrs. Kazuya must be spreading rumors about them. Old ladies always like to do that. If you are thinking that Tsukasa killed Yuriko, then you guys are on the wrong track!" They weren't able to get anything else from him and were practically almost thrown out of his house.

  


"That was smooth," Miyu said with a smile. She took off her badge and put it in her pocket.

  


"Shut up." Larva pulled off his badge from his long black coat. Before, Miyu could say anything else, he drove off.

  


******

  


Clutching Aoi's card in his hand, Larva looked around his surroundings as he tried to locate Aoi's dojo. After passing through a little forest, he finally saw the ancient dojo. He parked his motorcycle next to a tree and headed straight to the entrance. Aoi happened to be standing there and he greated Larva as he approached him. Larva noticed that Aoi had changed his casual street outfit to a loose and modern samurai outfit.

  


"So you decided to come," Aoi said. "I am glad to see you here."

  


"How long have you been training as a samurai?"

  


"For a long time." Larva followed Aoi to a dressing room and from there, Larva changed into a karate gi. "We study many different arts in this dojo," Aoi explained. As they reached for the sparing ground, they ran into Ranka and Ichiro. Ichiro was busily throwing punches on a wooden man, and Ranka was watching him. She was dress in a Japanese kimono and greeted them when they entered the room.

  


"This dojo was owned by my father," Aoi said quietly. "When I was still rather small, he started to train me in martial arts. He passed away when I was six and from then on, I have been the master of this dojo." He gave Ranka a smile as she nagged Ichiro about his weak spots. "Ranka and I have played with each other since we were very small. We met Ichiro when I just became the new master."

  


"I see," said Larva. "Why did you become a cop?"

  


"Because of Ranka," Aoi simply replied. He watched as Ranka easily knocked away two wooden blocks that Ichiro had thrown towards her. "Ranka has always wanted to be a detective and because of this, she studyed really hard at school. I wanted to protect her so I studyed with her. I became a policeman just for her." Larva nodded his head and narrowed his eyes when he saw Miyu coming out to the sparing ground. She saw him and gave him a smile. Ranka joined her and they both walked toward them.

  


"Ranka and I met Miyu when we were in college." Larva looked at him in surprise.

  


"College?"

  


"Yes," Aoi answered in amusement. "We were sixteen years old when we got admitted as freshmen for college. Miyu was only twelve at that time." When Larva didn't say anything, Aoi continued with his story. "Miyu is a very smart girl. She attended the same classes with us, and she always got the highest score. At thirteen, she proved herself to the police department by helping them to solve one of the hardest cases at that time." He smiled to himself. "In a way, you can say that Ranka and I kind of envy her and yet, we also respect her."

  


"Why did she want to be a detective?"

  


"I don't know. She never did told us and we never asked. Even if we did, she won't tell us." He reached out and grabbed a wooden sword. He tossed it towards Larva and nodded his head in Miyu's direction. She was standing in the middle of the room with a wooden sword in her hand. Ranka had joined them and was standing next to Aoi. "I think she wants to fight you. I hope you know how to use it." Larva took some practice swings in the air, and Aoi nodded his head in approval. "Impressive. But this doesn't mean you can beat Miyu. Good luck."

  


Ichiro had stopped his practices and walked towards Aoi and Ranka. "This will be interesting," he said as Larva went to face his opponent. Ranka nodded her head and giggled as Miyu and Larva formally bow to each other. The next second, the sound of their swords clashing together rang out loud.

  


Ranka, Aoi, and Ichiro watched with great interest as Miyu blocked Larva's sword at her right. She pushed his sword away from him causing him to take a step backward. Miyu swung her sword to Larva's top right and he blocked it with his own sword. A smile flashed past Miyu's face and before Larva knew it, she kicked him right across his chest, which he had left open. He stumbled backward from the impact force and clutched his chest in pain. His eyes flashed with anger as Miyu charged straight at him. With a side step to his left, he was able to dodge her blow. He swung his sword at her as she passed him to his right.

  


A sting of pain flashed through Miyu as the tip of his blade sliced her right upper arm. She turned to face him and blocked his sword when he swung it down on her. She quickly countered his attack with a sweep kick. Her attack managed to knock him down on his back but it didn't help that much as Larva quickly sprang back up on his feet and hit her with a roundhouse kick. She managed to block the kick but it hit her hard enough to make her lose her balance. Larva took this opportunity to finish her off and approached her from behind. His sword came down on her but to his surprise, she stepped inside from his swing, bringing herself right in front of him. Her fist made contact with his chin as she dealt him with a hard uppercut. Larva went flying in the air for a few second and falls down on the floor from the punch. He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness. When he turned to look at Miyu, he found her heading straight towards him with her sword ready to checkmate. The tip of her blade stopped barely two inches away from his throat at the last second.

  


"You lost," said Miyu. To her surprise, Larva gave her a smile. "Did I?" Miyu looked downwards to find his sword pointing right at her stomach, the tip of his blade just a centimetre away from piercing through her. Realizing that he could pierce her before she could strike him, Miyu silently admitted defeat. She took her sword away and Larva did the same thing. With great formality, they exchanged a small bow and walked away from each other.

  


Aoi and Ranka exchanged a smile while Ichiro shook his head. "It seems like our little Miyu have finally met her match," said Ichiro. Aoi and Ranka silently agreed.

  


******

  


The next morning, Miyu parked her motorcycle in the parking lot for the coroner's office. She gave a small wince when she accidentally bumped her arm in the elevator. It is still fairly sensitive from last night's battle. When she stepped into the coroner's room, she could hardly hide her dismay seeing Larva already over there. He was examining Yuriko's body when she stepped inside.

  


"Good morning, Miyu," he said without looking up at her. "For two people who plan to stay out of each people's business and who hate each other, we surely do meet a lot."

  


"What a pity."

  


"Yes," he looks at her for the first time. "A pity." His face turned into a frown when he saw the irritating smile she always had on. She walked up next to him and looks at Yuriko's body. "The doctor confirmed she died from an overdose."

  


"I see." For the rest of the examination, neither one of them spoke. Larva eyed the bruises on Yuriko's neck while Miyu idly examined the arms. After fifteen minutes of examination, they both stepped out from the building.

  


"Hungry?" Larva looked at Miyu before he replied.

  


"Yes."

  


******

  


Larva finished ordering his breakfast and turned to look at Miyu. He knew that there must be a reason why Miyu would ask him to dine with her. They sat there in silence as they waited for their drinks to appear. This time, instead of tomato juice, Miyu ordered a glass of water. 

  


"Speak."

  


Miyu smiles at Larva's command and pushes her glass of water away. "I met Reiha in college when I was just twelve years old. At that time she was sixteen. We never did get along with each other but we both stayed away from each other. That was until Amaru came along." She took a sip of her water, and Larva listened with interest. The tone that she was telling this story with was so "matter-of-fact" that Larva couldn't help but becoming interested in it. "Reiha loved him but unfortunately he liked me. I didn't care about him because I wasn't interested in starting a relationship. He drifted on and by the time I was fourteen, he was dating Reiha." Larva nodded his head and prepared for the bad part. "One Thursday, he was crossing the street when a car hit him. Reiha happened to be there and was calling for the ambulance when he uttered my name with his last dying death. From then on, it sealed her hatred for me and our relationship."

  


"Why are you telling me this?"

  


"You have the right to know."

  


Larva pondered over this issue as the waitress set down their breakfast. Miyu was chewing on her sushi when Larva finally caught on to what she meant. "I guess this is the benefit that I get for being your partner," he said wryly.

  


"Yes."

  


"Are you going to see her?"

  


"Yes."

  


Larva took a sip on his miso soup before he tosses out his suggestion. "I think we should go and see her together." Miyu stopped eating and looked at him.

  


"She might not treat you as bad as you assume she will," she said calmly. "Just go see her before I do."

  


"What is the possibility that she haven't heard that I am your partner yet?"

  


"Slim."

  


"Exactly. I'd rather have her yelling at us both at the same time." With that said, they quickly finished their breakfast and headed towards Reiha's office. When Larva first saw her, he thought Reiha was a ghost or something. Her skin was so pale and white. However, he later on discovered that the color of her skin matched her personality perfectly: cold and hard as ice.

  


"Sit down," said Reiha as Larva and Miyu walked into her office. Besides her desk is a Japanese doll. Miyu sat down on a chair, and Larva followed suit. "Miyu," she said. "It has been a long time since we last saw each other." She turned to look at Larva and gave him a smile. "How do you do, Mr. West?"

  


"And I thought Miyu's smile was annoying," Larva thought to himself. "How do you do." he replied.

  


"I see that you have slacken off from your work, Miyu. Have your skills deteriorated so badly that you now need a partner." Larva frowned from the insult but Miyu simply replied back with a smile that is equal to Reiha's in coldness.

  


"Having Larva for my partner was not my choice. However, his abilities are far more better than you can imagine." Larva was stunned. He turned to look at Miyu and gave her a surprised look. The last thing he had expected to hear from Miyu was praise for his abilities. It took him a few more seconds to realize finally that she was protecting him because by insulting him, Reiha was also insulting her. "I think we have wasted enough time, Reiha. You know what I want."

  


"What make you think I will give it to you? Homicide is under our department, not yours."

  


"The coroner just confirmed to us that the victim died from an overdose so we have the right to know."

  


"You have the witnesses information, why do you need mine?"

  


"Because every information is important." Reiha turned to look at Larva. He gave her a questioning look. "You do know that, don't you?"

  


Reiha's eyes flashed with anger but she remained remarkably calm. "I can see why you like him so much."

  


"Liking him is not my choice. Now, stop wasting my time," Miyu simply answered.

  


"I have nothing to tell you."

  


"Everyone that was present at the scene must give their statement whether they like it or not."

  


"I am not a suspect so I don't need to give one."

  


"Refusing to give me your statement automatically makes you one."

  


"Are you accusing me of murder?"

  


"Am I?" Miyu and Reiha stared at each other coldly. Larva was watching this battle with great interest.

  


Reiha smiled at Miyu and turned to go back to her work. "I am busy. This is my case just as much as it is yours. However, I'd like to solve it my way and you'd like to solve it with your own method." She gave Miyu a challenging look. "Let's just see who can solve it first." With that said, she went back to work. Taking this as a dismissal, Larva and Miyu walked out of the office and out of the building.

  


"That was smooth," said Larva.

  


"Shut up." Miyu walked to her motorcycle and drove away. Larva smiled right after her and hopped onto his motorcycle.

  


*****

  


"Have you found anything yet?" Miyu turned around to find Larva standing at the door.

  


"Even if I have, it is none of your business," Miyu replied with a smile.

  


"True. It is not my business to care." Larva stepped into the room as he looked around the house for clues. After their meeting with Reiha, they had both decided to go back to the house and try to find some new clues. So far, all of the clues that they had gathered had lead them to a dead end. Larva looked at Miyu as she stood near a window. He noticed that it was the same window that she was looking at yesterday. "It is obvious that the killer did not come in from the front door," he said out loud. "He must have entered from that window."

  


"What makes you think that I am thinking about the window?"

  


"I have been watching you, my dear Miyu."

  


"I am glad that I am able to get your attention."

  


"It is hard not to because you look so cute."

  


"Your beautiful face can trick anyone but it cannot trick me." Miyu smiled at him as he gave her a frown. She walked towards him but on the way, her leg hit one of the trashcans in the room and knocked it over.

  


"And I thought I was clumsy," Larva muttered. He bent down to help her clean up the mess when something caught their eyes. They both reached for it at the same time and managed to clasp it at the same moment. Neither one of them were willing to let go so they automatically lifted it to a level where they could both see it. The thing that caught their attention was a piece of photograph."

  


"Here's more," said Miyu as she picked up some other pieces of the same photo. Within a few minutes, they had pieced back the whole picture.

  


"What kind of idiot would throw a torn-up picture of him and his girlfriend into the trashcan?"

  


"That's a stupid question," said Miyu. She was just as puzzled as Larva was but she didn't show it. If she would have looked up at that time, she would have seen fire dancing in Larva's eyes.

  


"That insult was not necessary, Miyu."

  


"Wasn't it?" She looked at him straight in the eye.

  


"What...oh." Larva stepped involuntarily backwards when he realized what Miyu meant. "That was a stupid question," he thought in amusement. "What kind of idiot would ask that kind of question? Only a stupid one would have done it." He smiled at Miyu and she returned it. "Thirsty?" he asked.

  


"Not really but there is something I'd like to show you."

  


*****

  


Larva sighed as he looked at the piece of brown cloth that was put carefully in a plastic bag. Miyu handed over some photos to him, and Larva scanned through them. The photos showed some shoe prints. Miyu took a drink from her tomato juice before she faced him.

  


"This piece of cloth was found stuck on Yuriko's windowpane. These footprints were found on that window." Larva hands over those photos to Miyu but he kept the bag that contained the cloth. One way or another, the piece of cloth looked familiar to him. His mind automatically flashed to his first suspect but from the way things appeared, the theory did not fit. Besides, he swore he had seen something similar to this piece of cloth somewhere before. Larva played with the plastic bag in his hand as he tried to recall where he saw that kind of colour and texture. Miyu, on the other hand, was flipping through those pictures. Minutes passed by and for a whole forty-five minutes they sat there deep in their thoughts.

  


"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth," Larva muttered. He looked up in surprise when Miyu answered.

  


"Sherlock Holmes in _ The Sign of Four, _ by Conan Doyle."

  


"You have read it?" Miyu frowns at his question.

  


"You think," she retorted. If Van was over here, he would be so happy to see Miyu finally lost her cool control. She flipped the photos in her hand with great frustration. "I know there is something that is important in these photos but why can't I see it," she thought angrily. To her, the case was turning towards a dead end and it was annoying her like crazy. It didn't help to have a guy, who had equalled you in wit and beaten you in fighting, throwing insults at you while you were trying to solve this irritating case.

  


When he first heard Miyu's retort, Larva instinctively became defensive. However, after having so many verbal battles with Miyu, he knew there must be a reason why she had said that. He sheepishly realized his idiotic remark. "Damn it!" he thought with frustration. "Of course she has read it. How else can she answer me so fast." He sighed. "Next time I'd better think before I speak. She is just too damn witty." With this in mind, Larva looked at the piece of cloth. Not knowing whether he was more frustrated with Miyu or the piece of cloth, he tosses it on the table in disgust. To his surprise, Miyu slammed the photos on the table sending them flying everywhere. Larva couldn't help but smile at her frustration.

  


"I think you'd better drink some more of your tomato juice." Miyu grabbed her drink and took a huge gulp. She sighed and started to relax. Her smile returned to her face, and she bent down to pick up some of the photos that had fallen on the floor. Larva picked up the plastic bag and was about to put it away when something suddenly crossed his mind. Something hit Miyu's mind at the same time as she stared at one of the photos in her hand.

  


"Larva!"

  


"Miyu!"

  


They called out each other name at the same time. Miyu stuck the photo in front of Larva's face, and he stuck the bag of cloth in front of her. Usually, they would be annoyed when someone did this to them but right now, it didn't matter.

  


"Check, please," yelled Larva when he finally caught onto what Miyu was indicating. Miyu gathered all the evidence and stuffed it back into a bag. "Score one for Conan Doyle."

  


*****

  


Sergeant Satou was sitting in his office when Larva bursted into his room. "What the..." He opened his mouth to yell at Larva but before he could do it, Larva plopped down a huge package of evidence.

  


"Now you got the evidence, catch him." With that said, Larva stalked out of the room. Sergeant Satou opened up the package, and his eyes widened from seeing the contents. After looking over it for a good fifteen minutes, he stuck his head out and yelled out to the cops in his department.

  


"Reiha!!! We've got work to do!"

  


Larva came out of the building with a smile. "The case is finally over," he thought to himself. He turned to the corner where he had parked his motorcycle. Miyu was standing next to his motorbike. She looked up when she saw him approaching her.

  


"Results."

  


"Priceless." Miyu giggled when he told her the way Reiha looked as she heard that they had solved the case. Miyu got on her motorcycle and Larva got onto his.

  


*****

  


Larva and Miyu were dinning in a restaurant when the TV flashed to the news report. They exchanged a smile when they heard that the police had arrested Yuji Shirow for the murder of Yuriko Kinomoto. Miyu put down her fork and looked at Larva. Larva met her eyes and stopped eating.

  


"I was watching you," he simply explained. "I saw you hanging around the window and looking at the flowers when I went to interview Mrs. Kazuya. The way you were looking around that area made me realize that the killer must have entered from there. I also noticed how you had intentionally dropped your pen to look at Tsukasa's shoes. That's how I knew that you were suspecting Tsukasa."

  


"And you gained your suspicion from the conversation that you had from Mrs. Kazuya." Larva nodded his head. "I thought it was Tsukasa at the beginning because Cain recognized his photo when I presented it to him. The shirt he was wearing that day was also the exact same texture as the piece of cloth that was found near the window. All the evidences pointed to him."

  


"However, things just didn't seem right." Miyu smiled at him, and nodded her head in agreement. "What made you disregard Tsukasa as a suspect?"

  


"Dramatic. It was too dramatic. The shoe print was exactly Tsukasa's size. His shirt, the torn picture, the argument that Yuji overheard, and the way she died were just too dramatic to be in real life."

  


"Hmm...and then you discovered the shoe print." He smiled at her. "And I discovered the connection with the piece of cloth."

  


"Everything was just a set-up by Yuji to frame Tsukasa. Once we found out the connections between those two evidence, everything just fell into place."

  


After doing some intensive investigation the whole afternoon, Larva and Miyu finally pieced together the whole story. Yuriko used to date Yuji before she met Tsukasu. At the beginning their relationship was going very well, but as time passed by, Yuriko finally broke up with him because she couldn't handle his persistent obsession with her. After they broke up, Yuji seemed to make peace with Yuriko. During that time, Yuriko met Tsukasa and fell in love with him. Yuji quickly became his friend and was constantly seeing them two. However, unknown to them, Yuji still loved Yuriko and his love quickly turned to hate. For the last three years, Yuji and Tsukasa always hang around with each other and every week, they had at least one night that they would spend the night out.

  


For these past few years, Yuji had planned carefully for this murder. He intentionally told Mrs. Kazuya a made-up story about Yuriko and Tsukasa's argument. He brought Tsukasa with him when he went to buy drugs (Tsukasa did not know that Yuji was buying drugs) hoping that one of the people over there would recognize him. On the day of the murder, he intentionally told Tsukasa that they were going to meet at 11:30. Knowing that Tsukasa had such a poor memory with schedule, he knew that Tsukasa would not be suspicious when Yuji told him a lie. He went to Yuriko's house around 10:00, and sneaked in from the back window. He caught Yuriko by surprise and strangled her with her scarf. As she was losing conscious, he released her and injected an overdose of cocaine into her. She quickly died from that overdose. He then placed the bottle of cocaine on the table and tipped it over. He took a picture that had Yuriko and Tsukasa in it and ripped it into pieces. He then implanted a piece of cloth, which was the exact same texture that Tsukasa was wearing on that day, and placed it on the window. He turned off Yuriko's stereo and switched off the lights. The piece of scarf that was found stuck on the coat hanger was intentionally left there to explain the buises on her neck. With all these things done, he stepped out from the window and made sure that he have leave some footprint over there. He quickly jammed back home and played his last role. His plan would have worked if Miyu hadn't noticed the muddy shoes in his apartment and that the mud on the shoes were consistent with the mud near Yuriko's house. The size of his shoe also fit the size of the footprint that was left outside the window perfectly. Adding to this, Larva noticed that the piece of cloth was similar to the shirt he had tripped over on.

  


"Sometimes evidence can just fall right into your lap," said Larva. He noticed that Miyu was sitting there lost in thoughts.

  


"Human beings is quite a weird species," she murmured. "People kill for love and believe in love. Yet all these things are just futile illusions. How long will they continue to die for this illusion? How long will it take for them to discover that love is just a futile belief?"

  


"Do you really believe in what you are saying?"

  


"Why would I say it if I don't believe it?"

  


"An illusion." Larva nodded his head. "A futile chase isn't it?" He took a sip from his coffee. "I guess you're right." He lifted his glass of wine into the air. "Who said that Conan Doyle was a fool? A toast, Miyu?"

  


She nodded and lifted her glass of tomato juice up right next to the glass he was holding. The inside of the restaurant resounded with the brisk clink of the two glasses. To some people, this might seem to be a toast to Doyle but for Miyu and Larva, this sealed their partnership and a new beginning.

  
  
  


Author's note: Hehehe...I hope you like this chapter. I know it is kind of boring but the next chapter is going to be exciting. However, it won't be up very soon because there is another fic that I need to work on, and I put that as first priority over this fic. Tell me what you guys think of it. Oh yeah, thank you for all of your review. I know I have some grammar problem and I am trying to correct them. I am sorry if this causes anyone any discomfort but I hope you know I am working hard on it. I hope this chapter is better than the first. Thank you once again for your reviews. I really appreciate them. Oh yeah, I will like to know should I raise the rating for this fanfic. The reason why I think I should do so because I am going to be using the word "hell" for some of the following chapters. If I should, please tell me. Thank you.


	3. Nightmares aka. Breakup

A Heart that is Cold 

* * *

  


_Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Acknowledgment: Okay. This is a revised version. Rociellac went through the whole chapter and corrected most of the mistake. Thank you!!! Now...X-files??? Heheheh....thank you! Actually, I never did watch X-files before. I only watched the movie, and I don't remember about it that much. However, I consider that is a compliment. Thank you. Oh yeah, thanks for all the reviews you guys. I really appreciate it. I know I have some faults, and I am trying my best to correct them. I am working really hard on my grammar...hehehe. Rociellac: I know you want to see them face each other in an intellectual game. However, I don't know how to play chess (shamefully looks away). Sorry about that, but I hope you like this chapter though. It is like chess. Have fun reading this chapter, everyone. You ought to recognizes some characters in this chapter._

  


* * *

  


**Nightmares aka. Break up**

  
  


"And that just made us equal."

  


Miyu put her booklet away and reached for her cup. She took a sip and looked around the coffee shop. "Hmmm...I wonder what is taking Larva so long." She smiled and stretched herself. For these past two months, she and Larva had officially announced their partnership. Although they admitted their partnership, they actually tried to solve the cases on their own. Miyu erased her old records and openly challenged Larva's abilities. Taking up her challenge, Larva and Miyu were constantly battling each other with their wits. Miyu was winning by one case but Larva just tied it when he solved yesterday drug-rape incident. After a long night of investigation, Larva arrived to the hotel a second earlier than Miyu to catch the suspect. Currently, he was just finishing up the final details while she waited for him in the coffee shop.

  


She lifted her hand and idly played with the red ribbon that was weaved within her hair. She smiled when she recalled how she obtained this ribbon. Irritated by her flowing long hair, Larva complained that her hair was always hitting him in the face when she fought him. One day, he walked into the police department and gave her this red ribbon. When she looked at him in surprise, he took the ribbon and pulled her hair into a bun. He set the bun to the top left side of her head and wrapped it with the ribbon. A few strands of her hair flowed down from the bun and he weaved the rest of the ribbon around them. From that day on, Miyu had always worn her hair in that style. She pulled her hand away from her hair and set her cup on the table. Her eyes rested on a girl that is sitting near the window. The girl was of about the same age as Miyu. Her brown hair was at shoulder length and her front bang was fluffed up. Her brown eyes were constantly staring at the elevator like she was anticipating someone. Miyu narrowed her eyes as she continued to observe the girl. "There is something wrong with her. She is restless." The girl's eyes lightened up when the elevator door opened to reveal three foreigners. One of the gentlemen was wearing a loose blue blouse and long black pants. His light brown hair was comb to his right side, covering some part of his face. The two men standing next to him were without doubt his bodyguards. Miyu watched in silence as the girl paid for her drink and started to advance towards the brown hair gentleman. She quickly dumped some money on the table and followed the girl closely. As the girl approached the young man, her hand slipped into her jacket. Miyu caught a gleam of light as the girl drew back her hand and quickened her pace towards the man. Miyu broke into a run and before the girl could reach the young man, she grabbed the girl by her right hand and twisted her around. The girl screamed out from pain and surprise as she lost her balance. Before she knew it, Miyu tossed her lightly over her shoulder. The knife slipped from the girl's hand and clattered loudly onto the floor. Before the girl could make for an escape, Miyu was on top of her.

  


"Let go of me!" Miyu continued to hold on to the girl as she struggled to loosen herself from Miyu's grip. Miyu quickly took out her badge and handcuffed the poor girl.

  


"Impressive." She looked upwards to find the brown hair man smiling at her. "Thank you for saving my life."

  


"Do you know her," Miyu asked. She lifted the girl to her feet. To her surprise, the girl leaned limply onto Miyu.

  


"I've never seen her before." Miyu looked at him straight in the eyes. She gave him a little smile when she shifted the girl's weight from her body. To her annoyance, a crowd was starting to gather around them. The manager walked up to them, and Miyu showed him her badge.

  


"Oni-chan," the girl whispered. "I've failed you. Will this nightmare never end?" Miyu looked at her. Two cops arrived to the scene and took the girl away from Miyu. She was giving them an account of the incident when someone called out her name.

  


"Miyu!"

  


"Larva!" She turned around and waved her hand towards Larva's direction. Larva walked straight towards her. To her surprise, he stopped in the middle of his track. His face displayed a look of disbelief as he stared right past her. She turned to find the brown hair man smiling at Larva.

  


"Long time no see, Larva," said the young man. "How have you been?" Larva narrowed his eyes and calmly walked up to Miyu. She could feel the alertness radiating from him.

  


"Yes. It has been a long time, Jake," Larva replied coolly. "What are you doing over here?"

  


"I am just taking a look around the city," Jake returned light-heartedly. He looked at Miyu with great interest. "Aren't you going to introduce this beautiful lady to me?" Larva took a step forwards to shield Miyu from Jake's glance. "You called her Miyu. That is a beautiful name. Is she your partner?"

  


"I'm not a child," thought Miyu. "I don't need his protection." However, she did not move. Whatever it was, Larva was highly alert and this indicated that the matter at hand was very serious.

  


"Yes," Larva quietly answered. He turned to Miyu and lightly pushed her towards the exit. "We have to go. Good-bye Jake."

  


"I'll see you around." Larva held his glance for a brief second before he turned and walked toward the exit with Miyu by his side.

  


"STOP HER!!!!" They turned around to find the girl running away from the cops. A waitress was pushing a cart with a pile of utensils on it and stopped in shock when the girl ran straight at her. The girl grabbed a knife and to everyone's surprise, she stabbed herself right in the heart. By the time Miyu and Larva reached her, she was already lying unconscious on the floor with blood pouring out from her wound. Her mouth moved as she called for a certain person one last time before her breath stopped.

  


"Oni-chan," Miyu whispered. "Brother."

  


*****

  


"Who is it?" A tired middle age woman opened the door to her house to find Miyu standing outside. "What do you want?"

  


"I'm sorry for calling in so late," said Miyu. She took out her badge and showed it to the woman. "Do you mind if I come in." The woman nodded and showed Miyu into her house. Her husband was sitting near the fireplace. He looked up sadly when Miyu walked into the room with his wife.

  


"She's from the police," said his wife as she sat down next to him. "How can we help you? We've already given you all of the information that we know."

  


"I didn't come here for police business," Miyu answered. She switched from her normal emotionless tone to a more sympathetic one. "I know that this day have been a rough day for you." She placed her hand on top of the woman's hands as she wept on her husband shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her as they cried for their dead daughter. After their daughter had committed suicide, the homicidal police department contacted her parents and for the whole day, they had spent their time in the police department answering various questions. Miyu and Larva were kept out of this business because this was not under their department. Miyu didn't know why she was pursuing this issue. Maybe it was because the way the girl looked at her before she died. "No," she thought to herself. "It has something to do with what Larva told me about Jake."

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Larva?" asked Miyu. She looked at him as he sipped his coffee. Night had fallen, and they finally got to sit down to a peaceful dinner after a day of hectic work. He laid his coffee on the table and answered her unspoken question._

  


_"His name is Jake Fox. Do you recognize that name?"_

  


_"Yes. He is a famous composer in the United State. He is quite well known over here, too."_

  


_Larva nodded his head. "In LA, he is also known as Night Gia."_

  


_"Gia." Larva raised his eyebrows in surprise when Miyu spat out his name with great venom. When Miyu didn't expand on that issue, Larva continued._

  


_"Yes, Night Gia. People named him that because they thought he was dream-like and mysterious. However, some other people gave him this name because it was believed that he brought nightmares to some people."_

  


_"Nightmare?"_

  


_"Don't ask me," Larva answered. "I don't know what that meant, either. It might have to do with the rumours that were spread around in the LA police departments. They said that half of his financial benefits came from drug dealing." Miyu waited for him to continue but Larva remained silent. She nodded her head in comprehension. They both had made a silent agreement not to question each other's past unless one wanted the other to know. At this moment, Larva was not willing to tell her about it._

  


_She raised her hand to call for the bill when Larva stood up to leave. Like always, they splat the bill in half. In silence, they walked out the café and headed for their motorcycles. "Where are you going," asked Miyu._

  


_"Somewhere," he replied. He raised his helmet and put it on his head. "How about you?"_

  


_"Somewhere," she answered with a smile. To indicate his annoyance, Larva revved his engine and sped away from her._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"Excuse me?" Miyu pulled her mind back to the current situation and looked at the woman who was addressing her. "If you did not came here for police business, then what did you come for?"

  


"I was the one who stop your daughter from committing the crime," said Miyu. "I was there when she died." She stood up and walked up to the fireplace. Her eyes focused on a picture with the image of a young man with the unfortunate girl in his arms. She turned back to look at them. "I came here because I am interested with this case. I am not in the homicidal department so I am excluded from the case but I want to do everything I can to help you answer your question."

  


"Our question?"

  


"The reason why your daughter committed suicide," Miyu explained. "I want to know the truth regarding to this incident." She took the photo and sat back down on the chair. "But I can't do anything without some facts. I need your help so that I can bring your daughter's death to justice." Not completely to her surprise, the man jumped up from his seat in rage.

  


"TO JUSTICE!!! WHAT JUSTICE CAN YOU GIVE HER WHEN SHE HAS ALREADY COMMITTED SUICIDE?!!!!" He trembled with anguish and in a split second, his composure collapsed and he sank down on his chair in defeat. "Chisato," he murmured in sadness. "She was such a good girl. She...I don't know why she did such a thing. Why?"

  


"Honey," his wife whispered. Miyu sat there in silence as she observed the couple. Her face set back to her unemotional display as she settled down for business.

  


"I have a theory," said Miyu. "I think I know why your daughter did what she has done." They both turned to look at her. Miyu shook her head to indicate she was not going to tell them about it now. "I don't have any clue to prove my point and it might be wrong. Until I have enough evidence, I cannot give you a definite answer." She leaned forwards and placed the photo that had Chisato and her brother in it on the table. "Now, I need you to answer me some questions. Can you do it for me? No...for your daughter." The two of them looked at each other before they nodded their head.

  


"What do you want to know," asked the woman.

  


"Before Chisato died, she mentioned her brother." Miyu looked up in alarm when they both gasped. She proceeded with the question cautiously. "Where is he?"

  


"Hiyoku..." The man clutched his heart in pain. "He's dead." Miyu sat up when she heard the news. However, she was not surprised. In fact, it was starting to fit into her theory.

  


"How did he die? Why did he die?"

  


"He...he...committed suicide," said the mother in frustration. Tears fell down from her cheeks as she recalled the death of her son. "They found him in his apartment...I don't even know why he...he did that!"

  


"Chisato found him," said the father. "He slit his wrist and she found him in the bathroom..." He sighed as his fingers grasped the photo in his hand. "We really don't know why he did it. Chisato...she loved him so much. She was so devastated when he died." Miyu nodded her head to that comment.

  


"Did you notice anything strange with Chisato and Hiyoku's behaviours before they died?" They both shook their heads. "Can you tell me more about Hiyoku?"

  


"He...was a good-for-nothing," said the father. His wife looked up in alarm but his look silenced her. "He dropped out from college and went out to the Great Northern Plains to work on a bird sanctuary." He sighed before he continued. "I was mad at him for dropping out of college but...his dedication to his interest started to pay off. He was supposed to receive a reward for his work but...he passed away. He killed himself just when his life started to turn for the best!" He banged his fists on the table. "That idiot!!" Miyu continued to look on with no emotion. To the couple's surprise, she stood up and offered her hand.

  


"Thank you for answering all of my questions." They took her hand into theirs. "I will tell you what I come up with." They watched in silence as Miyu headed for the door. Once she was outside the house, she looked back. With a determined look, she pulled her black jacket tighter around herself. "Night Gia." She turned around and drove off on her motorcycle.

  


******

  


Larva stopped his motorcycle in a desolated area. He looked around the surrounding before he proceeded to enter the forest. After a few minutes of driving, he finally reached his destination. Stopping his motorcycle at the front gate, he announced his presence through an intercom. A voice acknowledged him and allowed his access to the mansion. Although this mansion was newly built, it contained all of the features of the Old English structure. Larva parked his car on the driveway and rang the doorbell.

  


"Mr. West," said the butler when he opened the door for Larva. "Mr. Fox has been waiting for you. Allow me to show you the way." Larva nodded his head and followed the butler through the main hall. His serious face displayed no emotion as the butler opened the door to the living room. Night Gia was relaxing on his chair near the fireplace when they entered. He looked up to find Larva stepping into the room. He smiled and stood up.

  


"You may go, Victor," said Night Gia. His butler nodded and closed the door behind him when he left the room. "So Larva...it has been such a long time. Are you just going to stand there? Aren't you even going to give your old friend a hug?"

  


"I'm no friend of yours," Larva replied coldly. "Why did you come here?"

  


"Tsk..tsk...always so serious." He sat back down on his chair and poked the fire with a poker. "I do detest talking to people when they are standing. Why don't you sit down and relax on the chair that is beside me?" Larva hesitated before he walked across the room and sat down on the said chair. "Now that is good, Larva boy."

  


"Don't play games with me, Night Gia. Answer my question, now!"

  


"Awww...Larva. Is this how you talk to your old friend?" he asked in a mocking tone. He leaned forward and looked at Larva straight in the eye. He smiled with amusement. "I've missed you, Larva. I came here so that I can see you again. Do you believe me?"

  


"Where's Cait Sith?"

  


He shrugged his shoulder and leaned back onto his chair. "I have no idea who you are talking about." He continued to eye Larva's stiff and serious position. "But I have to say, we've all missed you. You were the best in our team. We even thought that you would make a great future leader of the team. Your ruthlessness and cool demeanour...hahaha...who would have ever believed that it would end up like this?"

  


"I was never in your team," Larva replied flatly. He frowned with annoyance when the other man clutched his heart in pain with an exaggerated dramatic gesture.

  


"It hurts me to hear that, Larva. After all these years." Night Gia sat back on his chair and picked up his wine glass. He took a sip before he proceeded with his taunting. "But I guess I can understand you. Your partner is quite a cutie, isn't she?"

  


Larva's eyes narrowed when he heard that last comment. "Don't touch Miyu," he warned.

  


"Oh...yes...I forgot that her name is Miyu. Beautiful name isn't it? I wonder how she will look when I am done with her?" Before he knew it, Larva jumped up from his chair and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He was lifted off his chair when Larva pulled him close to himself till their faces lay inches away from each other.

  


"If you touch one hair on Miyu, I will make you pay," said Larva in a dangerous tone. However, his opponent was not affected by it. In fact, he seemed much delighted.

  


"My...my...temper...temper, Larva. Miyu is not a married woman. I have the right to court her." He smiled when he saw anger surging through Larva. "I can't help but notice her beauty. It would be a shame that anything happen to her." His grin widened when Larva pulled back one of his fists to strike him. "Oh...no..." He shook his head in a teasing way. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Police assault is not good for your record."

  


"Stay away from Miyu!" He pushed Night Gia on the ground before he stormed out of the mansion. Night Gia brushed himself and stood up laughing.

  


"Now I know your weakness, Larva." He picked up his wine glass that had fallen down on the floor. "Little Miyu and protective Larva. Your nightmares have just started."

  


Larva grabbed his helmet and jumped onto his motorcycle. He sped straight towards Miyu's house and managed to reach there in one piece. He rang her doorbell and waited when he heard her footsteps approaching it.

  


"Larva?"

  


"Stay away from Night Gia, Miyu! I know that you don't take orders from me but just listen to me this time." With that said, he headed for his motorcycle. However, Miyu grabbed him by his arm and forced him to turn around.

  


"Come in," she said. Larva looked at her before he nodded. He followed her into her apartment in silence.

  


******

  


Larva looked at the door to Van's office again. When he and Miyu walked into the department this morning, they were surprised to see Sergeant Satou and Van waiting for them. Before, Larva could ask anything, they pulled Miyu into Van's office. He sighed as he looked over the information for the third time. Somehow the information was not sinking in. He closed it in frustration and glanced in the direction of the office. "They've been in there for two hours already. What is the problem?" Somehow, he could not shake off a sense of forbidding. Another hour passed by and still they were in the office. Larva was about to knock on the door when they finally came out. Miyu shook Sergeant Satou's hand and the sergeant left with a smile. Van patted Miyu on the shoulder before he headed back into his office. She turned to look at Larva as he approached her. "Miyu..." He was interrupted when a deliveryman asked for Miyu.

  


"I'm here." The deliveryman walked up to Miyu with a bouquet of a dozen of red roses. He handed her the bouquet and took up the order form.

  


"Would you sign this please, Miss. Yamano?" Miyu signed it and looked at the flowers. Ranka, Ichiro, and Aoi came standing near her when she took out the card.

  


"Thank you for saving my life," read Miyu. "Jake Fox." To everyone's surprise, Larva grabbed the flowers and card away from her hand and threw them into the trashcan.

  


"Thirsty, Miyu?" She nodded her head and followed him out of the office.

  


*****

  


"What!!!" Larva slammed his cup down on the table. He ignored the glances the other people were giving towards them. Miyu calmly looked at him and placed her cup on the table.

  


"Larva, calm down." He took two deep breaths before he spoke.

  


"I've told you to avoid Jake. Why won't you listen to me?!"

  


"I guess you weren't listening to me, Larva, or else you would have heard me telling you this is Van and Sergeant Satou's order."

  


"I am not interested in starting a verbal battle with you right now, Miyu." He sat back on his chair. "Night Gia," he thought in anger. "When do you start working," he asked Miyu out loud.

  


"Tomorrow." She watched Larva in amusement when he frowned.

  


"Stop smiling," he muttered.

  


"I dislike the arrangement as much as you do. Jake wanted a full time body guard and he only wanted me to be his body guard." She frowned and sighed. "I'm a detective. Not a body guard!"

  


"He doesn't even have the right to....ugh! He must have coax the police department in fulfilling him this need by using his position and fame." Miyu smiled at him. "Miyu, I am not a sentimental person but I am not lying when I tell you this. If something did happen, call me." She nodded her head in silence.

  


"There is something that Larva is not telling me," she thought. She took a sip of her drink. "I can take care of myself," said Miyu. "I don't need you to worry about me. However..." She smiled at him. "I'll be careful."

  


*****

  


"I can't tell you how much I appreciate it for you to stay over here," said Night Gia. "Miyu..."

  


"Please call me Miss. Yamano, Mr. Fox." She stepped into the mansion and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Where do I stay?"

  


"You are staying in the room across mine. Victor will show you the room." He took her hand but she quickly drew it away. Amused by her reaction, he watched in silence when she headed up the stairs. "Miss. Yamano. I will be delighted if you dine with me tonight."

  


"Dinning with you is not my job. My duty is to protect you." She turned around and smiled at him. "Not to entertain you."

  


*****

  


"Done. Now we just have to wait." Larva leaned back on his chair and stretched himself. He looked at the clock on his desk and sighed when he realized it was only 8:00pm. "Ranka..." After Miyu have left for mission, Larva was teamed up with Ranka to solve a drug ring that had recently started in the past week. After paying a visit to Cain, they were informed that the next operation was to take place two days later. Larva sighed when his stomach rumbled in protest. Switching off the light of his room, he walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. Just when he had settled down to enjoy his sandwich, his telephone rang. "Hello." He dropped his sandwich and frowned when he heard Night Gia's voice.

  


"Hello Larva. I am just calling to tell you what a beautiful evening I am having with Miyu tonight. Lauburu surely does serve some great food. The pork over here is quite a delicacy. Hmmm...it's amazing how they fatten the pigs before they actually kill them."

  


"Night Gia," he hissed. He slammed his phone on the table when the line disconnected. Forgetting his own dinner, Larva grabbed his long black coat and ran out of the house. It took him only half an hour to reach Lauburu. When he finally got there, he was highly annoyed to find out that the company have left fifteen minutes ago. After interrogating the waitress for another three minutes, she finally told him that they went to Canal Café for a drink. He sped towards that direction and managed to reach there in fifteen minutes. When he arrived, Miyu and Night Gia were stepping out of the café. "Night Gia!" They both turned around to find Larva storming toward them. His fist pulled backwards to assault Gia but to their surprise, Miyu stepped between them and blocked Larva's fist from striking.

  


"Larva! What are you doing over here?"

  


"Let go of me Miyu!" He struggled to pull his hand away from her. He watched with annoyance when she places one arm protectively in front of Jake.

  


"I don't know what is the matter with you, Larva. But Mr. Fox is under my protection and it is my responsibility to look after him. I won't let anyone hurt him, even if the person is you." They stood there, staring at each other. To her relief, he relaxed and backed away. "Larva?"

  


"I got a message from Jake at eight tonight," he explained. "He..."

  


"You must been mistaken," Miyu interrupted. "I was there with him the whole time. He didn't call anyone for these past few hours."

  


"It was his voice, Miyu. I heard him loud and clear."

  


"I'm sorry Larva," said Night Gia. "But I didn't call you at all. I was with Miss. Yamano in the last two hours and I never did left her sight. I didn't make a phone call to you."

  


Larva's anger flared up but he controlled it this time. He looked at Miyu before he walked away from them. Night Gia and Miyu watched him as he drove away on his motorcycle. She turned to look at Night Gia and warned him.

  


"Don't try anything."

  


"I wasn't doing anything," said Night Gia. "I must admit that Larva and I have a grudge against each other in the past, but that is all done and over with." To his surprise, Miyu smiled at him and shook her head. Little did he know, that smile indicated Miyu's anger. For the rest of the evening, Jake tried to start up a conversation but to his annoyance, she ignored him. When they reached his mansion, Miyu accidentally bumped into Victor, causing him to drop some of his stuff.

  


"I'm sorry," said Miyu as she bent down to help him pick up his glasses, tape recorder, notepad, and a set of gloves. She bade them goodnight before heading back to her room.

  


*Two days later*

  


"Hey Hisae! Come on! We are already late!"

  


"I'm coming, Yukari! I just have to straighten up this bed and..." Hisae jumped up in surprise, when Miyu stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. "You surprised me, Miyu."

  


"I'm sorry," said Miyu. "Thank you for cleaning this room for me."

  


"It's alright," said Hisae. "It is our job anyway." For the last two day, Miyu had made some friends and some enemies in this household. After bumping into Victor two nights ago, he had formed a personal grudge against her. If it weren't for Jake's presence, he would have gladly kicked her out of the household a long time ago. It didn't help when she defended Yukari Kashima and Hisae Aoki from one of his tirade. Well...ever since then, these two had become her friends.

  


"Hisae!!!" Yukari stuck her head into Miyu's room. She smiled at Miyu and quickly gave Hisae a glare. "Are you just going to stay here and chat while I have to clean up Mr. Fox room by myself? Come on! You don't want Victor to yell at us again."

  


"I'll help," said Miyu.

  


"That's okay," said Yukari. "We can handle it, Miyu. You are, after all, a guest."

  


"I'd rather do something than sitting here all day," said Miyu. She followed them into Jake's room. She had been in there four times since she started her mission. In the right corner of the room was the chimney. A basket of firewoods was placed next to it. Next to the fireplace was his drawer and right next to the drawer was the door to the bathroom. His bed lay in the middle of the room, with the head by the wall, and Hisae went straight to it. Miyu walked up to the piano that was located near the balcony and a bookshelf. She touched the music sheets that Jake had been working on. Yukari headed into the bathroom while Hisae straightened up the bed. Miyu looked inside the piano and touched the strings in it. She turned around and looked at Hisae when she gave off a scream.

  


"What is the matter, Hisae! Don't tell me you have tipped over Mr. Fox's firewood again. You know he doesn't like it when people touch them!" Yukari ran out the bathroom to find Hisae standing on the bed.

  


"There is a roach!!! There!!" She pointed at the roach that is scrambling across the floor. Yukari went chasing after it and cursed when Hisae found another one on the bed. For the next moment, the sounds of pounding feet and screaming radiated out from the room as Yukari tried to kill these roaches and Hisae was screaming out of fear. Miyu watched with amusement and stayed close to the piano. When the commotion finally died down, Yukari calmed Hisae down and pushed her to the bathroom. She ended up cleaning up the bed. While she was working, Miyu settled in front of the piano and started to play a little piece. When she finished playing, Hisae came out from the bathroom and joined Yukari.

  


"That sounded nice," said Yukari. "However, you missed some notes."

  


"Did I?" Miyu giggled and walked up to the fireplace. She picked up one of the wood pieces and smiled at it before she placed it back into the basket. "I've played them but you must not have heard them."

  


Yukari and Hisae looked at each other before they followed her out the room. For the rest of the day, things went fairly the same. When night came, Victor told them that Mr. Fox did not want to be disturbed. Miyu idly walked around the household and stopped by Jake's room. She heard him mumbling to himself as he played on the piano. "Amazing," thought Miyu. "Amazing indeed." As she headed out of the house, she passed by Yukari. She bade her good night and started to walk around the house.

  


******

  


"All in position." Larva nodded his head and motioned his team forward. Three guys saw his gesture and they quietly proceeded forwards. They watched as some people push their products out of the warehouse.

  


"Ranka, now!" Larva pounced out from his hiding place along with the three people that were under his command. Lights lit up the whole parking lot as Ranka and her fellow team members moved in for the capture. "Freeze!" Larva pointed his gun at the target suspects. Police cars surrounded the drug dealers to block their escape. To his surprise, neither one of the dealers bother to struggle against the arrest. Instead, they calmly raised their hands and allow the capture to occur. Although he was supposed to be happy about this, he couldn't shake off the funny feeling that something was wrong. "It was too easy," he thought as Ranka rounded up the rest of the gang. He walked into the warehouse with a flashlight. Not bothering to search for the switch of the lights in the room, he rumbled through some of the stocks.

  


"Good job, Larva." He spun round and the beam of light landed on Night Gia's smiling face. He was standing near the back door and watching Larva with apparent amusement.

  


"Night Gia!" For a moment, Larva was too stunned to move but by the time he shook off the shock, Night Gia had already run out of the warehouse. "Stop!" Larva ran right after him but stopped when he saw that Night Gia had jumped into his car. He watched in frustration as the car pulled away. Running to his motorcycle, he told Ranka to take over the operation before he sped off. Within an hour, Larva had sped through the traffic and arrived at Night Gia's house. He parked his motorcycle outside the gate and knocked on the gate. Miyu happened to pass by and was surprised to find Larva pounding on the gate.

  


"Larva?" She opened the gate for him and he took her by her shoulders. "What are you doing over here?"

  


"Where is Night Gia?"

  


"He is in his room." She followed Larva into the mansion. They proceeded to go up the stairs but Night Gia was already there to greet him.

  


"Hello Larva. What brings you here?"

  


"You know why I am here. What were you doing in the warehouse this evening?" They all gave Larva an alarmed look.

  


"Why Larva. I was in my room the whole night. I didn't leave this room at all."

  


"Liar," said Larva, trying his best to suppress his rage. "I saw you in the warehouse."

  


"Larva," Miyu said softly. "He was speaking the truth. I heard him when I passed his room an hour ago. Since then, I had been patrolling the ground. No one left the building or enter the building except you."

  


"Are you saying that I am lying?"

  


"I am just saying that your statements doesn't seem plausible."

  


"I know what I saw, Miyu. It was him who was in the warehouse."

  


"And I know what I saw and heard. I didn't saw anyone leaving the house or entering it." They eyed each other with anger as the others watched on. Noticing their presence, Larva pulled Miyu out to the front garden. He stopped when he had made sure that no one could hear them from this distance.

  


"Miyu. Night Gia was in the warehouse tonight. I didn't saw an illusion."

  


"Larva, I know what I saw and heard. Are you questioning my abilities?"

  


"Yes!" They glared at each other with suppressed fury. "Damn it Miyu! For God's sake! I am your partner! Don't you even trust me?!"

  


"DON'T ask me that question, Larva," said Miyu in a cold and hard tone. "You WON'T like the answer." Larva was shocked for a while since he had never heard Miyu using this tone before. He turned his back to her and started to laugh bitterly.

  


"I should have known," he whispered. "I should have known this would not work. We are both too independent, too headstrong. This partnership has been a failure from the start."

  


"Are you suggesting what I am thinking," asked Miyu. Her voice was steady but inside of her, she was a little bit sad.

  


"Yes," said Larva softly. He turned to look at her. "I think this is the best path." She nodded her head silently. She watched as he turned to walk away. If Larva would have turn back to look at her, he would have seen her hand reaching out to him. He stopped midway from the gate and she quickly dropped her hand. "Last advice for you, my Miyu. Watch out for Night Gia." With that said, he left her standing out in the garden, alone. She turned around and walked silently back into the mansion.

  


"I'd say that went fairly well, don't you think, Victor?" Jake lifted his glass of wine to his lip and elegantly took a sip. He released the curtain of his window and smiled at his butler.

  


"Yes, sir."

  


"Our poor Larva has lost someone he cares about. Tsk..tsk." He placed his hand on the bookcase and smiled as the bookcase opened, revealing a hidden passage. "You know what to do." Victor nodded and walked out of the room. He proceeded to the kitchen and found Hisae and Yukari there. He took the trash bag from them and headed out to the dumpster. However, a bag was suddenly thrown over his head. The before he knew it, four fists started to pound on him.

  


"That's what you get for sleeping with my wife," said one of the men as he proceeded to punch Victor on the stomach. Victor fell down on his knees.

  


"Jackass! Trying to ruin my sister wedding," said the boy. He kicked Victor on his back and proceeded to pick him up for more beating. He suddenly dropped him and cursed out loud. "Damn! We got the wrong man!"

  


"What do you mean the wrong man?"

  


"The man that Nina was seeing did not have a left thumb! Let's jam!" They pushed him onto the ground and one of them accidentally fell on Victor. Victor was too dazed to realize what was happening and it took him a few more minutes to finally catch his breath. He pulled the bag off his head and looked around the area.

  


"How did they get in here," he thought. He stumbled to get up and reached for the garbage bag. Greatly alarmed, he reached into his pocket to see if they had stolen anything. He sighed in relief when he realized that nothing was taken. When he walked back into the house, Miyu was upset to find him all beaten up. She went and patrolled the ground that night.

  


******

  


Larva placed his cup of coffee on the table. He looked around the office and watched his fellow teammates busy with their work. His eyes lingered at the desk where Miyu used to sit. Five days had passed since their partnership officially broke up. However, that did not end Night Gia's taunting. For three days straight, he kept getting calls and every single time, Larva would rush to the scene just to find Miyu quite all right. He did not show himself to Miyu because he knew that she would not believe him. He sighed in frustration. His thoughts were broken when Ranka slammed a huge pile of paper work on his desk.

  


"I've look at all of the information and still, we are not able to tie Jake Fox to them. Are you sure that he is the master mind behind these drug trades?"

  


"Yes, Ranka." He reached for the telephone when it rang. Ranka watched with interest when Larva nodded his head and wrote down the information. "It's from Cain. He said that there is another pick up tonight at eight o'clock."

  


"I'm on it," said Ranka. She turned away from him and started to fire out orders. Larva leaned back on his chair and frowned when the phone rang again.

  


"Hello?"

  


"Hi Larva."

  


"What do you want, Night Gia?"

  


"Oh Larva...don't sound so annoyed. I am just wondering are you interested in knowing that Miyu and I will be dinning at Lauburu again. We hope that you can come. We will be there around eight o'clock. Don't be late, Larva or else you will be sorry." He started to laugh. Enraged, Larva slammed the phone down.

  


He picked up his black coat and proceeded to go out. However, he checked himself. "The trade will be around eight o'clock tonight." He sat down on his chair and contemplated about the situation. "I can't risk Miyu's life but so far, he hasn't done anything. But what if he does hurt her this time?" His face set with determination when he realized whom he was thinking about. "She is Miyu. She will be able to take care of herself." He slowly forced himself to put down his coat and stuck to his desk. "I know Miyu. She's going to be alright." With that to comfort him, he walked up to Ranka to discuss about tonight's operation.

  


*****

  


"Sir?" Jake looked up to find Victor addressing him. Miyu quietly ate her meal when he excused himself. "I've checked, sir. Larva had gone to the pier instead."

  


"Good," said Jake. He glanced at Miyu who was still quietly eating her meal. "I guess he finally chooses his work over Miyu. Too bad...I'll just have to remind him how important Miyu is to him." He walked back to the table and smiled at her. She ignored him and continued to eat. He nodded his head toward Victor's direction. Understanding what that meant, Victor went out to grab a water pitcher and came in to fill Miyu's almost empty glass. She muttered a "thank-you" before taking a little drink. Jake didn't have to wait long before the drug started to take effect. Miyu looked at him before she fainted. "Too bad, little Miyu," said Jake as he touched her beautiful face. "I didn't want to do this to you but...Larva needs to be taught a lesson and what better way to teach him than to hit his weakness?" He picked her up and dismissed the manager of the restaurant. He assured them that his little lady was just tired and that their food has nothing to do with her unconscious state. With Victor's assistance, they put her in the back and drove off to an isolated area. Following Jake's order, Victor had bought an isolated warehouse in a worn down area in Tokyo. Jake had already planned to use this place when he first saw Larva and Miyu together. Now, he finally had the opportunity to do so. With Victor's help, they bound her hands and feet with wires and put her in the warehouse. Stacks of wooden boxes were piled up in the room and only a dim light lit the center of the whole warehouse. Jake drag Miyu's unconscious body towards the light and asked Victor to keep watch outside.

  


An hour past before Miyu started to stir. Jake smiled when he saw her slowly gaining her conscious. Her eyes snapped open when she realized that she was bound and lying on the floor. She blinked from the light for a few seconds before her eyes focused on Jake's figure. The whole warehouse was in darkness and only this small area was dimly lit. Jake laughed when he saw Miyu struggling with the wires. He walked up to her and touched her on the cheek. She quickly turned her head away but he grabbed her roughly on the chin. His smile widen when his eyes met her defying glare.

  


"Dear Miyu. Why do you look so offended? Don't you like my surprise?"

  


"Night Gia," she hissed.

  


"Yes?" He backed away from her and took out a fencing sword. "I guess Larva told you that name didn't he? Night Gia? Hmm...I made that name up myself, you know?" He swung the sword in the air with a playful air. "If you would have called me that name in the past, I might have spared your life. However, it is too late." He smiled at her when she looked down on the floor. "Oh Miyu. Don't think that I am doing this because I am mad at you. You see, Larva needs to be taught a lesson. You are just the bait." He pointed his sword towards her. "In case you don't know why I am called Night Gia, I shall tell you. I bring nightmare to people. I love to inflict pain on people slowly until they do not want to live anymore. Guns may be a quicker way but I like swords because they cause more..." He stopped his gloating when Miyu started to giggle. "You know what? I've always find your giggling annoying and your smile irritating." He frowned when she continued to giggle. Somehow, he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. "What are you laughing at!" He shook his sword at her as he waited for her answer. To his surprise, Miyu looked straight up at him. Her eyes were cold and her face displayed amusement.

  


"Night Gia," said Miyu in a playful tone. "You are so naïve." She smiled at him when he backed involuntarily away from her. "Why do all of the villains like to gloat so much? It always backfires you know?" She stood up straight slowly and stared at him with defiance. "You've lost, Night Gia. It's time you give up!"

  


"What?!" Jake backed up in shock. For a moment, he stood there looking at the little girl that was bound by wires. Helpless as she was, she managed to make him feel a little bit uneasy with her speech. "Empty boast," thought Night Gia. He walked towards her with his sword raised. "Very good Miyu. But you should know I don't...." He paused when he heard two clicks coming from behind Miyu. He watched with shock and rage when Aoi and Ichiro stepped out from the shadow with their guns pointed right at him. Without taking his eyes off of Gia, Ichiro bent down and untied the wires round Miyu's hands and feet.

  


"Thank you Ichiro," said Miyu. She turned to look at Night Gia and flashed him one of her annoying smile. "You are under arrest for trying to kill an officer." She borrowed Ichiro's handcuff when Night Gia put up his hand. "You have the right to remain silence." With that said, Miyu walked up to Night Gia. She paused when she heard him muttering something. "What did you say?" When Night Gia did not answer her, she pouted playfully. "I hope you are saying your prayers." Night Gia smiled when she approached him. To all their shock, a shot pierced Night Gia's right arm and he fell down on the floor. Miyu paused in surprise when Night Gia uttered a curse clutching his right arm. "Larva?" She looked at him when he stepped out from the shadow with his gun aimed at Night Gia.

  


"You should not underestimate him," said Larva. He walked up to Night Gia and pulled out a little pistol that Night Gia had hidden under his sleeves. He tossed it to Miyu, and she frowned when she saw it.

  


"Larva," Night Gia grunted from pain. "You...you..."

  


"You've underestimated us, Miyu and I," Larva simply replied. "You should not have done that."

  


"Night Gia," said Miyu. He turned to look at her. "You bring nightmares to people by blackmailing them." She smiled at his surprised expression. "Drawing and inflicting pain onto them every single second." She shook her head and smiled at Larva as she handcuffed Night Gia. "You're pretty weak when you are not bringing nightmare to people. Right, Larva?" Larva gave her a warm smile.

  


"Yes, Miyu."

  


*****

  


"Alright! You guys better tell me what is going on!" Miyu, Larva, Aoi, and Ichiro all smiled at Ranka as she cornered them. Van joined her to listen to the whole event.

  


"After Larva told me about Night Gia, I went and paid a visit to Chisato's family," said Miyu. "Before Chisato passed away, she mentioned her oni-chan. She also mentioned him when I captured her. She said that she had failed him and that the nightmare would never end. Larva also told me that Jake Fox was called Night Gia because he brought nightmare to people. For a moment there, I tried to figure out what did they mean by nightmare. I came up with two possibilities. One was blackmailing and another one was drug dealing." Ranka and the others nod their heads because they understood how she came up with those assumptions. "I talked to the family but yet, I wasn't able to figure out which one is the right assumption."

  


"While Miyu was at the Inoue's house, I was visiting Night Gia," said Larva. "I had a little conversation with him and decided to head towards Miyu's house." He looked at Miyu and smiled.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Come in," said Miyu. Larva looked at her before he nodded his head. He followed her into her apartment in silence. Once they were in her house, she pushed him lightly onto a sofa as he refused to sit down. "Do you want anything to drink?" Larva looked at her before he answered._

  


_"Coffee." Miyu nodded her head and went into her kitchen to make some. From the way Miyu was behaving, Larva knew that she had something important to discuss. He walked into the kitchen when he heard her dropping the coffeemaker. "Do you know how to make coffee?" He smiled when she put the coffee in the coffeemaker before the filter. "Now I know what you can't do," he said with a smile when he took the coffeemaker away from her. She watched in silence while he brewed the coffee. After fifteen minutes, they were sitting in her living room. Larva was sipping his coffee while she was drinking her tomato juice._

  


_"Larva?"_

  


_"Hmmm?"_

  


_"Night Gia..." He looked at her and placed his coffee on the table._

  


_"Yes?" he asked._

  


_"Do you think it is blackmail or drug?" Her question caught him by surprise. He sat there for a moment as he contemplated her question._

  


_"Drug...no. I don't think it was drug. It was quite obvious that he was somehow connected to drug in the United States. They gave him the nickname Night Gia for another reason." He looked at Miyu and smiled. "I believe blackmail might be the case."_

  


_"You think?"_

  


_"I do." They both smiled at each other. He watched her when she stood up and came to sit down next to him. She clicked her glass of tomato juice on his cup of coffee. He looked at it and understood what she meant. The last time they toasted, they confirmed their partnership. Now it was time for a test. "Your plan?"_

  


_"I am his target so I'll be the bait." Larva frowned at her suggestion but he knew this was the only choice that they had. "Since he knew that I am your partner, he will try to find a way to contact me. While I am with him..."_

  


_"I will try to find some clues to tie him up with the drug dealings." He nodded his head with appreciation when she smiles._

  


_"His main goal is to break us up so why not let him do it? You hate him and he knows it. Why don't we just play along his plan?"_

  


_"You have to act," said Larva._

  


_"And so do you," she said. "This whole operation will depend on what course you want to take. I just have to improvise." Larva nodded and drained his coffee. He walked into the kitchen and washed it._

  


_"So that is it," said Larva. Miyu nodded when she appeared beside him to take over the dishwashing. He sighed when he looked at her back and put his hands on her shoulders. She paused from her washing when he leaned forward. "Take care, my Miyu," he whispered. With that, he left her standing over there and went away._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"Like we predicted, Night Gia requested to have me as his bodyguard," said Miyu. "When Sergeant Satou asked me do this mission, I got a feeling he wanted me to look into Chisato's case. He left enough clues to let me deduce that he needed my help to solve that case." She turned to smile at Larva, Ichiro, and Aoi. "Larva and I have already started our mission, but we still need some help. I asked Ichiro and Aoi to help us in this case and they agreed."

  


"We agreed to look after Miyu while she was with Night Gia," said Ichiro.

  


"If Night Gia tried to do anything to Miyu, we were to report to Larva at once and contact Van about the situation," said Aoi.

  


"With that planned," continued Larva. "We carried on with our mission. Miyu acted like she usually do while I acted like a jealous boyfriend." He smiled when Miyu frowned. "Ranka and I were partnered with each other, and we successfully rounded up one of Night Gia's gang. Although we broke that drug trade, we didn't gather enough evidence to implicate him. Miyu on the other hand, was quite successful, am I right?"

  


She nodded her head and smiles. "On the first night of my bodyguard mission, Larva came barging in on us after we had just come out from the cafe. He said that Night Gia made a call around eight o'clock but I could swore he didn't. However, on that same evening, I bumped into Victor and one of the objects that he dropped was a tape recorder. When I saw that, I wondered could it be possible that he recorded Night Gia's message before hand and played it to Larva while I was dinning with him? That was possible, and I knew that he would use the tape recorder again in the future in order to form a wall of mistrust between Larva and I."

  


"Larva had already informed me about the drug trade that was going to happen on that night, so in the same morning, I paid Night Gia's room a visit. Night Gia was famous for his piano solo so I did a little sabotaging. While Hisae and Yukari were busily killing the roaches that I implanted, I managed to cut off two pegs of the piano. These pegs were responsible for the middle C and D minor. I cut those two pegs because they were the main notes on the music sheets that Night Gia had placed on his piano. To test my work, I played the piece to Hisae and Yukari. They both noticed that there were some missing notes but they thought that I just forgot to play them. That night, I walked pass Night Gia's room and found him playing the music with amazing precision. The notes that were supposed to be missing were played to perfection. I knew that he must have used the tape record again. When Larva came running over here and claimed that he had saw Night Gia, I played my role. Larva intentionally dragged me to the front garden so that we could continue our act in a clear full view of our observer."

  


"After our staged break up, I knew Night Gia was just waiting for me to give up on Miyu. For the first few phone calls, I continued to react to his warnings until he decided to test whether I preferred Miyu or the drug operation more. I knew that Aoi and Ichiro were watching over Miyu, and I knew that Night Gia would not do anything to Miyu while I am around, so I went to the drug operation instead. When I received a call from Aoi, I left the situation to Ranka to go after Miyu." He smiled at her. "I guess you got careless, my dear Miyu. You almost got yourself killed." When Miyu didn't say anything, he knew he won this part of the battle.

  


"Well, I guess Night Gia underestimated me too," said Ranka. "After rounding up the whole gang last night, we now have enough evidence to tied him to the operation."

  


"Not only him," said Aoi. "Victor too." Before Ichiro and Aoi sneaked into the warehouse, they jumped Victor and knocked him out. Ichiro tied him up with a wire and gagged him before he joined Aoi. Now Victor and Night Gia were locked up safely in jail.

  


"What about the evidences for blackmailing," asks Ranka. Miyu walked up to the basket of firewood that they have extracted from Night Gia's room. She touched the surface of one of the wood before she managed to find a little opening. Placing her fingers in the opening, she tugged on it and managed to pull open a hidden slot. From that hollow slot, pieces of paper and photos fell down onto the floor. She bent down and picked them up. Larva took them from her and sorted through them. He secretly took an envelope from the pile and handed the rest to the others. They looked at Miyu as she started to explain how she came up with this solution.

  


"Yukari gave me the hint when she said that Night Gia didn't like it when people touched the basket of fire wood. This made me wonder why. Why did he hate it when people touched it? When I picked up the firewood from the basket, I heard a little noise coming from it. It was not that noticeable and the weight of the firewood was quite heavy so if a person did picked it up, they won't suspect that there was a hollow slot in it." She tossed the firewood on the table. "Night Gia was quite smart for coming up with this hiding place. Who would have thought that he would put things in the firewood? One easy toss into the fireplace and all the sources for his financial benefit would go down the drain. He was taking a great risk putting them in there."

  


"However, if one of the victims would want to steal back the blackmailing materials," said Larva. "They would hardly look at the firewood. They would search for hidden passage or somewhere else. It lowered the risk of materials being stolen." They nodded their head and Miyu shared a little smile with Larva. Van sighed and stretched himself.

  


"Well...I gotta say. That went fairly well. Now we have enough evidence to incriminate Jake Fox for blackmail and drug dealing." He turned to look at Ranka. "Go and give the blackmail evidence to Satou." Ranka nodded her head and headed out of the office. Van rubbed his chin thoughtfully and muttered something before he walked away. "I wonder who gave the tape recorder to the police?" He shook his head and walked away. If he would have turn and look backwards, he would have found Ichiro and Aoi grinning at each other. Their little escapade managed to steal the tape and tape recorder from Victor before he could destroy it. Yukari would testify that the recording from the tape was exactly the same thing she heard on the evening of the first drug trade. Aoi and Ichiro walked away leaving Miyu alone with Larva. She looked at his direction to find him lost in thought.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"This isn't over yet, Larva." Larva looked at Night Gia when he whispered into his ear. He lifted Night Gia up and walked him to the patrol car._

  


_"It's over Night Gia."_

  


_He gave out a little painful laugh. "I'm not the only one out there, Larva. I'm only one pawn and you know that. As long as you live, you and Miyu will always be in danger." Larva shoved him into the patrol car and turned to look at Miyu. She was standing next to one of the officer and was telling them about what happen._

  


_*Ends of Flashback*_

  


"Larva?" He stirred from his thoughts to find Miyu looking at him.

  


"Night Gia is right," thought Larva. "As long as I live, I put Miyu in danger. I can't be her partner anymore." He turned to look away from her. "Miyu...." he started. To his surprise, Miyu put her hand firmly on his shoulder.

  


"We're partner, Larva," she said firmly. "Don't think otherwise." He watched her as she walked away.

  


"Miyu," he whispered. "Thank you."

  


*****

  


Standing near the entrance of the Saikawa cemetery, Larva and Miyu watched the gathered crowd as Chisato's coffin was lowered down the hole. Her parents watched in sadness, while her friends cried for their dead friend.

  


"Larva?" He looked at her and noticed the unemotional expression on her face.

  


"Yes, Miyu?"

  


"Did I do the right thing?" He stared at her before he answered her.

  


"They have the right to know. You did the right thing, Miyu." Ever since Larva had extracted the envelope that contain Chisato's secret, Miyu and Larva contemplated with each other whether they should burn it or give it to Chisato's parent. Miyu finally decided the latter because she felt they had the right to know. "They have suffer long enough," said Larva. Miyu looked at him when she realized that he was repeating the same thing she told him the day before. "They've been in the dark for so long. It is only right that they should know why their children chose to end their lives like that." He smiled at her when she nods her head.

  


"Larva, let's go."

  


"Yes, my dear." He followed her out the cemetery. Before they drove away, they took one last look at the cemetery.

  


"Pitiful...another one died for love." She drove away with Larva following right behind her.

  


"Miyu," asked Larva when they stopped at a red light. "When I asked you if you trusted me, you…I know we were acting at that time but…"

  


"Larva," said Miyu. "Don't ask me that question."

  


He nodded his head, and they drove off to the police station. "I don't know what happened to you in the past but I'll try, Miyu," he thought to himself. "I'll try to earn your trust."

  
  


Author's notes:

  


I know...some of you might recognizes some part is quite similar to the Shin Volumes...especially the capture scene...hehehe...I hope you like it though. Thanks for reading! But I gotta say, this chapter didn't come out to be as good as I thought it should be...sigh. I might end up revising it.


	4. Trust

A Heart that is Cold 

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Hi Everybody!!! Okay...an important acknowledgement to a nice person name Rociellac. As most of you know, I am not that good with my grammar. However, Rociellac is nice enough to take some of her summer time to provide a better, corrected chapter for all of you to read. She also corrected some of the wordings and some of the sentences are written by her because I kind of left out some information and wording. Hehehe. If you have some time, I will really appreciate it if you can thank her for her effort and her kindness. Thanks Rociellac!!! Okay...as for some of your question...obsession171: Uhm....I'm sorry but...errr...I think you are on the right track. If you watch the whole VMP TV series, you can definately tell how Chisato feels about her brother. Hehehe. Hmmm...as for Ami, can you tell me what do you mean by run on? I am kind of confuse. Thanks. And last but not least, thanks for all of your reviews. I really appreciate them. I also like to thank everyone who read this fic. If you have any criticism or any comment, I will really appreciate them because I want to improve my writing. Thank you everyone and I hope you will enjoy this chapter._

  


* * *

  


**Trust**

  
  


"Stop in the name of the law!" Larva cursed under his breath as he continued to chase the suspect. He looked back to find Miyu catching up with him. "They never do listen, do they," he asked Miyu when she finally caught up. The suspect turned around and pulled out his gun. "Watch out!" Larva pushed her behind some crates when two bullets flew toward their direction. He looked up from the crates to find the suspect running to the end of the dock. They quickly got up to their feet and resumed the chase. To their frustration, the suspect had already jumped into a jet boat by the time they reached there. He turned around and waved them a cocky goodbye before he turned back to the steering wheel. Larva looked around him to find two jet boats and a jet ski lying around there. Miyu had already jumped onto the jet ski when Larva pulled her off of it and pushed her into one of the jet boats. She flushed in anger when he jumped into the jet ski and drove off.

  


"LARVA!" she shouted out his name in frustration. Miyu furiously searched for the key to the boat in the dark. She finally found it when a beam of moonlight gleamed on it. She jammed the key into the keyhole and started up the engine. "Larva, just what do you think you are doing…" she muttered with a frown as she sped off toward them. She flicked on the headlights on the jet boat and twitched them towards the target boat. She could see Larva closing in on the suspect as he increased his speed. The suspect cursed and took out his gun. He fired two shots at Larva. Larva swerved to his right and ducked behind the dashboard just in time when one of the bullets brushed past his head. "He's using himself as the bait," thought Miyu. She increased her speed into full gear when the suspect fired two more shots in Larva's direction before he settled down to reload. When the suspect had finished reloading his gun, he turned to Miyu's direction and fired at her. His shot was wild because the glare from the headlights prevented him from seeing her.

  


When Larva saw the suspect firing at Miyu, he took out his gun and fired at the suspect. The suspect ducked behind the seat when two bullets hit the wheel and dashboard. He stood up and aimed his gun at Larva. Miyu took out her gun at the same time and pointed it at the suspect. With cool demeanour and great accuracy, she fired a bullet straight through the suspect's arm. He dropped his gun immediately when the bullet ripped through his upper arm. Larva and Miyu watched him as he dropped down on the floor in pain. Within a few seconds, Larva had reached the boat and hopped right in there. His eyes narrowed with coldness when the suspect made a grab for his gun. "I wouldn't move if I were you," said Larva with his gun pointed right at the suspect's head. "You don't want this to go off, do you?" Larva smiled when the suspect cursed and withdrew his hand back. Without taking his eye away from the suspect, Larva reached for the gear and decreased the speed of the boat. He turned off the boat just when Miyu arrived there.

  


"How is he," asked Miyu when she stopped her boat next to them. Larva handcuffed the suspect and dragged him to his feet. When the suspect struggled in his grip, Larva frowned and knocked him out by delivering a chopping blow on the back of his neck.

  


"He's fine," Larva answered. He tossed the man lightly into Miyu's boat and then hopped on to it himself. "His control panel has been destroyed. You'd have to be the driver this time." He walked up next to her and sat down on one of the seats. Although it was not that noticeable in the dark, Miyu could have sworn he was limping. She knelt down next to his right leg and touched his leg softly. "What are you doing," Larva asked uneasily as he quickly pulled his leg away from her. To his surprise, she grabbed on to his leg and pulled it towards her. When he tried to protest, she pulled the end of his pants upwards to expose his injured leg. "Miyu!"

  


"Be quiet, Larva," said Miyu as she inspected his leg. "Now is not the time to be modest." She grabbed the end of her shirt and ripped off a long strip of cloth. "It's just a scratch." She tenderly wrapped the piece of cloth around his wound and pulled back the leg of his pants downwards when she was done.

  


"Thank you," Larva said softly. Miyu nodded her head and turned around to drive them back to the dock. "How is Ranka holding up?"

  


"She was rounding up the rest of the guys when this one decided to make us chase after him," she replied.

  


"I guess this raid is a success, right Miyu?" he asked. She gave him a little smile before she turned to steer them back to the dock.

  


******

  


"Shame on you!" Everyone in the drug department turned to look at Ichiro when he slammed a pile of files down on his desk and made that remark. Ranka, who just happened to be in the direction where he was throwing that remark at, raised her eyebrows and pointed at herself.

  


"Who? Me?"

  


"No, not you," said Ichiro. He pointed his finger at the target couple who were oblivious to the current situation as they discussed yesterday's raid. "I meant them!" Larva finally looked up to locate the source of the noise and tapped Miyu on her shoulder when he did so. They smiled at Ichiro as he glared at them. "Shame on you, Miyu. Even with your new partner you still manage to cause us so much trouble." He turned to glare at the huge pile of paperwork on his desk. He growled when he noticed another similar pile on the other side of his desk. "And shame on you too, Larva! Can't you stick to the rules yourself? You are just as bad as Miyu!" He plopped down on his desk and opened up one of the files. "It will take a month to finish all of these paper works and it is all because of you guys! Why do I have to suffer the paper work because of something you guys did?!"

  


"I'm sorry," said Miyu as she walked up to his desk. She smiled at him when he looked up and frowned at her.

  


"I hate it when you said that," Ichiro grumbled. "And cut it off with your smile! It is so annoying." He turned around and pointed his pencil at Larva. "You too! Your smile is as annoying as Miyu's! Damn it! What has she done to you?!"

  


"She became my partner," Larva simply answered. Before Ichiro could say anything, Van opened the door to his office and summoned Miyu and Larva into his room.

  


Van sat down on his chair when the two of them walked into his office. Like always, Miyu sat down on the chair that was right across Van and Larva stood near the doorway. "Damn it," thought Van as he looked at those two. "First it was Miyu who caused me all the headache. Now I have Larva in addition to her." He fiddled with the file on his desk while he continued to think to himself. "These two are just one of a kind." He sighed and tossed the file to Miyu. She took it and opened it. Larva walked up next to her, and they observed the contents in the file. After a few minutes of silence, Larva and Miyu finally closed the file and put it on the table.

  


"So?"

  


Van sighed and turned to look at Miyu with annoyance. "What do you mean, 'so'? Eric Fenser, the guy that you caught yesterday night, killed someone in Los Angeles and they want us to escort him back to the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department)."

  


"And you want us to be the ones to escort him there," said Larva.

  


"Not me," Van quickly answered when he saw the dangerous smile on Miyu's face. "The LAPD requested for the two of you. Since you were the one that caught him, they wanted you to escort him back to LA as well. Our head has already approved of this arrangement. I am just here to inform you."

  


"So that is the plan," said Miyu as she stood up. "I guess we have no choice, right Larva?" Larva nodded his head and turned to address Van.

  


"When do we leave?"

  


"As soon as possible. Just tell me when you guys can leave so that I can excuse you guys for your absence." Miyu nodded her head and looked at Larva.

  


"I only need one day."

  


"Me too," answered Larva.

  


"I'll give you guys a week to get ready," said Van. Taking that as a dismissal, Larva and Miyu turned to walk out of the room. Van sighed when the two of them were out of his office. "Thank god Miyu didn't gave me the third degree. Come to think of it, she is more open now. Maybe Larva is affecting her. If that is the case, that is good." He looked at his desk and frowned again when he saw the pile of paper work on his desk. "I just hope he would do it in a better way." He opened one of the files and quickly closed it in frustration. Grabbing the pile of paperwork, he walked out of his office.

  


"What was that," asked Miyu. She was about to step into the elevator when she heard a scream. Larva smiled at her and pushed her into the elevator.

  


"Don't worry," said Larva. "It's just Van giving Ichiro some more things to do."

  


_One Week Later...On the airplane_

  


"Larva," called Miyu. Larva closed the book he was reading and turned to look at her. Wrapped up in her blanket, she closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into her chair. They had been flying for four hours now and boredom had finally caused her to feel sleepy while Larva entertained himself with his book.

  


"What is it Miyu," he asked softly.

  


"Are you going back to someone?" Larva looked startled for a moment before he answered her question.

  


"I don't know." He tucked his book away and took out his blanket. "They are waiting for me but...I don't know if I am ready to see them yet. Why did you ask that question, Miyu?" For a moment, Larva thought she had fallen asleep because she did not answer him right away. When she finally did, her answer gave him a little shock.

  


"Because someone is waiting for me." she murmured.

  


"Someone is waiting for her," pondered Larva. He looked at her as she slipped off to dream land. "Who can that be?" he wondered. He sighed as he snuggled under his own blanket and settled down to think over their recent conversation. Miyu and him hardly talked about their families. Although they were partners, there were still things they were not willing to share. He looked at her and smiled. "I guess we are afraid of getting personal." When Miyu asked him if he was going back to someone, Larva was shocked because it was the first time she ever shown any interest in his personal life. What shocked him more was that she told him that she had someone to go back to. "Are you breaking my barriers, Miyu?" As he wondered about that question, Miyu's head lightly fell down on his shoulder. Without thinking, he slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her near him. He lightly laid his head on top of hers and tucked his blanket around them. "Am I breaking yours, Miyu?" In a few minutes, he drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

  


_LA Airport_

  


"Miyu!" Miyu and Larva turned around to find a young man running toward them. His long black hair was tied back with a dark purple ribbon leaving only two long strands of hair framing the side of his face. His reddish-brown eyes shone with delight, surprise, and a slight trace of worry as he approached them. His handsome face lighted up into a smile when he reached them.

  


"Hi, Nagi," greeted Miyu. To Larva's surprise, she smiled warmly at Nagi when he gave her a brief hug. "How is Yui?" She shivered and pulled her black jacket tighter around her.

  


"Yui is doing fine," Nagi answered as he took off his long blue coat and gave it to Miyu. She refused to take it. "You should have been wearing more clothes. Although it doesn't snow in LA, it does tend to be a little bit chilly around the end of September, especially when it is nighttime," he added.

  


"I'm fine," said Miyu. She turned to look at Larva. "Nagi, this is Larva. Larva, this is Nagi." The two men took each other's hand and shook it. "Larva is my partner," Miyu explained. Nagi raised his eyebrows in surprise and smiled at Larva.

  


"How did you get her to be your partner?"

  


"We were assigned to pair up." Larva simply replied. He eyed the young man standing before him. "I think I know you. Aren't you the head of the homicidal department in LAPD?"

  


Nagi looked at Larva before he answered. "Yes, I am. Your name sounds familiar too. Larva...Larva." He clicked his fingers and smiled at Larva. "Larva West! Yes, I remember now. You were the top cop in the drug department. I heard that you disappeared one year ago when you broke up a huge drug ring in LA."

  


"Yes," Larva replied. "I went to Japan, and I became Miyu's partner." Nagi nodded his head and patted Miyu on her shoulder.

  


"So what brings you here?"

  


"The same thing that brings you here," Miyu replied. She nodded her head towards Eric's direction. Already, two policemen were holding him in custody. Eric glared at them before he was pulled away.

  


"So you were the ones who caught him," Nagi said with a smile. "Why am I not surprised?" He hugged Miyu once more before he turned to leave. "I will tell Yui that you are here. Come and visit us as soon as you have time."

  


"I will," called out Miyu. They watched him until Nagi got into his police car and drove off. "Shall we get our baggage?" Larva nodded his head and they proceeded to grab their own duffle bags that held their belongings.

  


Larva did not asked her any questions even though he was rather curious about her relationship with Nagi. They walked outside the airport and waited for a taxi to appear. As he was waiting there with Miyu, his mind was trying to gather as much information he could remember about Nagi and deduced their relationship. Unaware to him, Miyu was observing him from the corner of her eyes. She giggled when Larva started to frown. "What's so funny," Larva asked.

  


"Your expression," Miyu simply replied. "I have a sister Larva. Her name is Yui. Nagi is her boyfriend." She smiled at Larva while he stood there in shock. "I've known him since I was very small. In someway, he is like an older brother to me."

  


Larva nodded his head slowly. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked in a soft tone.

  


Miyu looked at him seriously before she answered him. "Because you are my partner. You have the right to know."

  


"I have the right to know whatever you want to tell me, Miyu," thought Larva. "and there is still something that you are hiding from me." He stretched out his hand and waved down a taxi. "Just as I am hiding something from you." He opened the door for her and helped her put the luggage in the back of the trunk. When they were in the car, Larva gave the driver the address to the hotel that Miyu was staying in. For the rest of the ride, they sat there in silence. Once they reached the hotel, Miyu paid for the trip and went to grab her baggage. Before she left, she turned to Larva.

  


"I'll see you tomorrow morning," said Miyu. "Call me when you get over here."

  


"I will," said Larva. He waved goodbye to her as she walked into the hotel. Larva turned to the driver and gave the driver his own address. Within an hour, the taxi stopped in front of Larva's house. Larva picked up his bag and paid the driver before he walked up to the door. He opened the front gate and looked at his front garden. In the garden was a bunch of beautiful rose bushes. Larva walked up to them and touched them tenderly. He looked at his beautiful two-story house and smiled when he noticed that someone had been taking care of it while he was gone. The windows were shining clean and the ivory paint was still in good condition. Larva reached for his key and opened the front door. He dropped his bag on the floor once he stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, he switched on the light and looked around his living-room. "I'm home," thought Larva when he walked past the sofa. There was nothing in the living room except a television, VCR, a bookcase that was filled with books, and a set of sofa. He walked up the staircase and opened the door to his bedroom. He smiled when he saw that his bed had been made. He changed into a sweater and sweatpants before he plopped down on his bed. He set the alarm clock before he drifted off to sleep.

  


Miyu, on the other hand, was just getting out of the shower and preparing to go to bed. She paused by the telephone and decided to give her sister a call.

  


A girl, approximately fifteen years old, was sitting near the telephone when it rang. Her long brown hair that cascaded around her beautiful face swayed as she turned to look at the phone. Her long slender hand picked up the phone and placed it on her ear. "Hello," she said.

  


"Hi Yui." The girl jumped up in excitement as she clutched the phone in her hand.

  


"Miyu! Is that you?"

  


"Yes, Yui. Long time no see."

  


"I know, Miyu." Yui sits down on her sofa and a gentle smile was shown on her face. "How are you doing, sister? I miss you."

  


"I'm doing fine," Miyu simply replied. Though Miyu didn't return back the same sentiment verbally, Yui understood her. "I'm in LA."

  


"I know," said Yui. "Nagi just called me. I was waiting for your phone call. How long are you going to be here?"

  


"About a week. Do you want to meet tomorrow afternoon?"

  


"Yes, of course," said Yui. "Where can I meet you?"

  


"I will come to your apartment," said Miyu. "How about two o'clock?"

  


"Okay," said Yui. "I'm free at that time. I miss you, sister."

  


"I'll see you, Yui."

  


"I love you, Miyu." Yui sighed sadly when she heard a click and the following steady dial tone. "Good night, Miyu."

  


_Next Morning_

  


Larva pulled on his long black coat over his royal blue shirt as he prepared to meet Miyu at the hotel. He grabbed his key and wallet before he exited his house. He opened his garage and jumped on to his motorcycle. After a forty-five-minutes drive, he arrived at the hotel around nine. He walked up to the front desk and talked to one of the receptionists. "Would you please put a call through to Miss. Yamano? She should be in room 476."

  


"Your name, sir?"

  


"Larva." The receptionist picked up the phone and dialed to Miyu's room. In two rings, Miyu picked up the phone. Larva took the receiver from the attendant and told Miyu that he would be waiting for her in the hotel's café that was located near the lounge. Larva hung up the phone and walked into the café. The waiter took him to one of the tables that were located by the window. He dismissed the waiter and looked outside the window while sitting in one of the cushion seats. He scanned the streets without really concentrating on any object. He picked up a spoon unconsciously. He was twirling it in his hand when someone whispered to him from behind.

  


"I wouldn't move if I were you, Larva." Larva sat very still and looked straight ahead of him. His beautiful red eyes narrowed and his face displayed a serious expression.

  


"Hi, Amy," Larva said in a cool low voice. The man was startled when Larva called out his name correctly. His short yellowish green hair swayed when he turned to look at Larva.

  


"I'm surprised, Larva. You still remember me. That was stupid of you to sit next to me when you know who I am."

  


"I did not sit down next to you on purpose. I just recognized your voice," said Larva. "What do you want?"

  


"Tsk..tsk," said Amy. "I heard you did Night Gai in. Impressive, I must say." He frowned when Larva attempted to turn to look at him. "I wouldn't move if I were you, Larva. I got my gun pointed right at your back. If you don't want to die, don't move. You know I will shoot at public places so don't even think I wouldn't dare to do anything drastic."

  


"What do you want?"

  


"Always the same old question." Amy smiled as he settled down on his seat (his chair and Larva's were connected back to back). "Don't worry, Larva. We are not after you. You are just merely the bait."

  


"A bait?" His body stiffened at the remark and he prayed silently that his worst nightmare would not come true.

  


"Yes, a bait," said Amy. His smile became wider when the object of his desire walked out of the elevator. She was wearing a black jacket and a dark blue turtleneck underneath it. "That is our prize." Larva turned a little bit paled when he realized that Miyu had become their target. "Wave to her and don't make any stupid move."

  


Miyu walked into the café and found Larva sitting near one of the windows. As she walked toward him, Larva started to play with his spoon. Although it was not apparent to other people, Miyu noticed the warning signal that Larva was sending her. "Long, short, short, pause, short, long, pause, long, short, long, long, short, pause, short, pause, short, long, and short." The gleams from the spoon flashed so fast that any untrained eyes would not be able to catch what Larva was signalling. However, Miyu knew. Larva had just used Morse code to signal her a warning. "Danger," thought Miyu. She stopped where she was and patted on her jacket. She pretended that she had forgotten her wallet and turned to walk away. However, she had only taken no more than two steps when a woman who was sitting on a chair near her called out to her in a low tone.

  


"I wouldn't suggest walking out like that," said the lady. Her long green hair was placed neatly behind her back. In one of her hands, she was holding a cup of coffee. The other one is hidden underneath the white coat she was wearing. She took a sip of her coffee and addresses Miyu in a soft tone that only they could hear. "You might not have noticed but my partner has his gun pointing right at Larva's back. You are the one that we want, not him. If you don't care about Larva's life, then go ahead and walk away." Miyu slowly reached her hand into her jacket and took out her wallet.

  


"So that is where it is," she muttered in a sarcastic tone. She turned around and looked at Larva. He frowned when she started to walk towards him. Their eyes never left each other's. In Miyu's eyes was grime determination, and worry clouded Larva's eyes.

  


"Miyu," he called out her name softly. She gave him a little smile when she sat down opposite to him.

  


"I'm sorry," she whispered as she lightly laid her hand on top of his. Larva looked at her hand sadly.

  


"We'll face it together," Larva said softly. She was about to take her hand away from him, but, to her surprise, he turned his hand upward and took her hand in his. "You're my partner, Miyu." He smiled at her. "Don't think otherwise." Just then, Amy stood up from his seat and turned to look at them. The woman with the long green hair stood up from her table and walked towards Larva's table.

  


"Hi, Larva," greeted the lady with long green hair. "How are you doing?"

  


"None of your business, Water Lipper," Larva replied coldly.

  


"What is the matter," asked Amy in a teasing tone. "Don't you miss your old friends?"

  


"Old friends," Mimi mummured.

  


"Yes, old friend," said Amy. His eyes shone with amusement when he saw the questioning look Miyu gave Larva. "And who is this pretty little girl?"

  


Miyu gave them an annoying smile. Her eyes shone with amusement. "Why Larva," she said in an idly mood. "Your friends are quite funny, aren't they? They don't think."

  


"You're absolutely right," Larva replied. "Why ask such a stupid question when they already knew the answer?" They ignored the glare that Amy and Water Lipper directed at them.

  


"Very good," said Amy in a dangerous tone. He slipped into a seat next to Larva. "I can see why you two became partners." When Miyu tried to move away from Water Lipper, Amy stopped her. "Don't do anything suspicious. Act normal or else, your partner are going to pay for your action." Miyu frowned when she saw him pushed Larva with his gun. "Now, shall we get something to eat?"

  


"I believe we should," said Water Lipper. She called over a waiter and ordered some breakfast for them. For the next hour, Miyu and Larva ate in silence while Amy and Water Lipper chatted happily to each other. After Water Lipper had scraped off the last piece of her pancake, Amy raised his hand for the bill. "Come on," Water Lipper commanded. Shee lightly pushed Miyu and Larva ahead of him. Amy tossed some of the money on the table to pay for the bill. They walked out the restaurant in silence and into the busy street. Although the street was busy, Larva and Miyu did not try to run away. They both knew that if they did so, one or more of the bystanders would be victimised. They silently followed Amy's orders. In a few minutes, they reached an isolated alley.

  


"Step in," commanded Amy. Miyu and Larva stepped into the alley with Water Lipper and Amy following right behind them. "Now...good night." Darkness consumed them when Miyu and Larva were knocked unconscious.

  


_Nagi's Office_

  


Nagi was just relaxing on his chair when the phone in his office started to ring. He reached out to grab the receiver and smiled when he heard his girlfriend's voice coming from the other end. However, his happiness was short-lived. At the other end of the phone, Yui's voice was filled with anguish when she addressed him.

  


"Nagi! Miyu is not here!"

  


"What?"

  


"Miyu is not here!" Unable to grasp the importance of the statement, Nagi told Yui to calm down. "Calm down! Nagi! Miyu said that she was going to come over here at 2:00 today. Now it is 4!" Nagi sat up in alarm.

  


"Miyu is never late," thought Nagi as he took out a piece of paper. "Obviously she hasn't called either because then Yui would not be in such a panic."

  


"Nagi, she is in danger! I can feel it! There is no other reason why she would miss this meeting without calling me. She is not that irresponsible!"

  


"Yui, calm down," said Nagi in a soothing tone. "I'll look into this matter right away. Do you know which hotel Miyu is staying in?" When she told him no, Nagi nodded his head. "It's alright. I can find out where she is staying. Don't worry, Yui. Miyu is a survivor. She will be all right. I promise." With that said, he hung up the phone and stormed out of his office.

  


_Larva's Place_

  


Larva shifted slightly on his bed. With his hands bounded behind him and his legs to the bedpost, he could hardly move in his position. Miyu was lying on the bed right next to him. He looked at her when she started to stir. She gave out a little moan before she jerked up from her position and looked around her.

  


"Good morning, Miyu," said Larva. "Actually it is afternoon." Miyu turned to look at him. Like him, her hands were bounded behind her and her feet were tied to the bedpost.

  


"Why are we in your house?" Miyu asked.

  


"I'd like to know the answer myself," Larva answered. Just then, Amy opened the door and walked in. He smiled when he entered. In his hand was Larva's old photo album. He took a chair from Larva's desk and placed it in front of the bed. Amy plopped the photo album on his lap as he sat down on the chair.

  


"Did you have a good rest, Miyu," asked Amy. When she didn't answer, he smiled. "Boy, are you cranky. Welcome to my home. Do you like it?" When Miyu giggled with amusement, Amy frowned. "What is so funny?"

  


"She is not stupid," Larva answered flatly. "In case you haven't notice, which I could prove to be just the case, there is a photograph of me on my desk." Amy quickly turned to look at the desk and frowned when he saw the photograph. "What do you want?" Larva asked.

  


"I just want to go back down the memory lane with you," said Amy. He took out one of the photos from the picture album and showed it to Miyu. "As you can see, the history of Larva and I go way back. We have known each other ever since high school. He was..." He growled in anger when Miyu cut him off.

  


"What happen in your past is no business of mine." Amy stood up in anger and walked up to her.

  


"You damn..." He lifted up his hand to strike her but Water Lipper appeared just in time to stop him. She pulled Amy back and stood between him and Miyu.

  


"Calm down you damn fool," Water Lipper hissed to Amy. "Remember what our orders were." Amy glared at Miyu and kicked the bed before he left the room. Water Lipper looked at them and went after Amy. She quickly reappeared with two cups of water. "Drink it." Miyu looked at the cup of water that was placed in front of her. When neither one of them drank it, Water Lipper raised her gun at them. "Drink it or else we'll do it the hard way. I personally don't want to knock you out again." Miyu drank the cup of water first with Larva watching her. She slowly slipped into the unconscious state. Before Larva drank his share, he warned Water Lipper.

  


"Don't hurt Miyu, or else you are going to regret it." He drank the water and in a few minute, he joined Miyu in dreamland.

  


*****

  


"Larva. Larva?" Larva stirred from his sleep when he heard Miyu calling out to him. He opened his eye to find total darkness.

  


"Miyu?"

  


"Yes, Larva." He shifted from his position and was not surprised to find his hand bounded behind him. They sat there in silence as Larva adjusted his eyes to the darkness. He noticed that they were sitting in the storage room in the back of a truck.

  


"Who else is here," asked Larva.

  


"Only us." They were jolted upwards when the truck hit a bump on the road. Miyu slid close to him. To their surprise, her hands were touching the ropes that bound his hand. "Don't move." Within two minutes, Miyu managed to unbind him. Larva quickly took off the ropes that were binding his feet and turned to release Miyu from her binds.

  


"Hurry," he whispered to her. He proceeded to take her to the exit but she stopped him.

  


"Larva, something is wrong. This was too easy. They should have known that we could escape like this. Why did they left us like this?"

  


"I would like to know the answer to that question myself but right now that is not important. The first thing we need to do is to get out of here." He quietly and quickly opened the door to the end of the truck. The dusty road was speeding right under them as they prepared to jump. Larva looked around him to find them driving through a forest. "Come on." To Miyu's surprise, Larva pulled her into his arms before they jumped down from the truck. Larva landed hard on his back when they hit the floor. They rolled for approximately ten feet before they finally stopped. He slowly released her and rose from his back. "Are you..." Larva never did finished his sentence because the next moment, Amy and Water Lipper had stopped the truck and were getting out of it to pursue them. "Come on!" Larva grabbed Miyu by her hand and they proceeded to run into the forest.

  


"Damn you!" Amy screamed right after them when he and Water Lipper gave chase. Darkness consumed them all. With only the moonlight to guide their path, Larva pushed the way ahead with Miyu following right after him. For two minutes, Amy and Water Lipper followed them diligently through the forest. Amy cursed when a branch scratched him across the face. In anger, he took out his gun and aimed it at Larva. Miyu turned around just in time to see him drawing out his gun.

  


"Larva!" Larva turned around to have Miyu shoving him hard on the chest. As he fell backwards, three shots were fired. The first bullet that was aimed for Larva's head embedded itself on one of the tree. The second bullet grazed his right arm. To Larva's horror, the third bullet ripped through Miyu's right shoulder as she fell down on him. Her blood splattered on his shirt before she landed in his open arm. His arms instantly wrapped around her.

  


"Miyu," he whispered when he felt the warm blood seeping through her wound.

  


"I'm fine, Larva," she assured him through clenching teeth. "It's only my shoulder. Let's go." She quickly scrambled to her feet with her left hand clutching her right shoulder tightly. Larva slipped his arm around her shoulder and they continued to run. Because they had fallen down on the ground, Amy and Water Lipper lost sight of them in the dark. Amy was the first to re-spot them. Before he could fire again, Water Lipper knocked the gun away from his hand.

  


"Cait Sith wants them alive! Not dead!" Water Lipper and Amy chased after them as Larva guided the wounded Miyu through the forest. For a short while, Miyu was able to keep in pace with Larva but with the increasing lost of blood, she began to stumble.

  


"Miyu!" Larva stopped on his track and lifted her up from her feet. He could not help but noticing her amazing lightness. "Shut up," he hissed when she was about to complain. "You aren't stupid so don't act like you were." With great speed, Larva ran with Miyu in his arms as he dodged through trees ad bushes. Branches cut through him like knives as they sliced his arms and body. He ignored the pain and the ache of his arm as he continued to run through the forest at top speed. After a few minutes, they managed to shake off Amy and Water Lipper. Larva continued to run for two more minutes until he reached another dirt road. Panting from exhaustion, he laid Miyu softly next to a tree as he observed their surrounding.

  


"Larva?" Larva looked at her and was terrified to find her dreadfully pale. "I'm fine," she murmured. Larva pealed opened her jacket only to find that the bleeding had started to slow down. He was glad to find out that the jacket had acted like a bandage as it pushed against her wound to help her stop the excessive bleeding. He grabbed the end of his coat and ripped off a strip of cloth. With that strip of cloth, he tenderly bounded her wound and slipped her jacket back onto her. "Where are we?"

  


"I don't know," Larva answered. He looked around him and to Miyu's surprised he gave out a low, startled cry.

  


"Larva?"

  


"Hold on, Miyu." He ran down the dirt road and looked around him. When he returned, he had a little smile on his face. "I know this place. I used to train in this forest."

  


"You use to..." She turned to look behind her. Two shadows were approaching towards them. Larva picked her up in his arms and broke into a run again. Amy and Water Lipper saw the two and started to pursue right after them. Larva plunged right into the forest again. However, unlike before, he knew where he was heading and his destination. He smiled, when he heard Amy and Water Lipper cursing out loud. In fifteen minutes, Larva and Miyu reached a clearing. The end of the clearing was a cliff. "Larva?" Miyu looked up at him with surprised when she saw him running towards the cliff.

  


"I know what I am doing, Miyu. Just trust me." When she didn't say anything, he held her closer. "Whatever you do, don't scream." Amy and Water Lipper watched in surprise when Larva jumped down the cliff. When they reached there, they could only see darkness. A few seconds later, they heard something hitting the bottom. 

  


"Damn! What are we going to do now?" Amy looked at Water Lipper in frustration as they paced around.

  


"There is nothing we can do. We just have to wait until morning come before we can go down there and look." Amy kicked one of the rocks over the cliff in frustration. They slowly walked away from the cliff.

  


*****

  


When Larva took that plunged, he knew that there would be a little platform located twenty feet below the cliff. He landed soundlessly on the platform with Miyu safely in his arm. He quickly placed her on the ground and grabbed the largest rock that he could find. He tossed it over the platform before walking back to Miyu. They waited in silence as Amy and Water Lipper pondered about the predicament. Larva finally picked Miyu up when he was sure those two had left. "Welcome to my little hideout," Larva said softly. The platform was the entrance to a natural rock cave that was located inside the cliff. Larva took her into the cave and continued to walk for some five minutes. He finally stopped walking when he reached an area that had a small pond located in the middle of it. A beam of moonlight shone through a crack from the roof of the cave. He laid Miyu on the ground and headed straight for the right wall. "I hope it is still here." He pushed a large rock away and to his relief, he found the supplied that he needed. He took out a little basin and grabbed his first aid kit. Filling the basin with water, Larva proceeded to take off Miyu's clothes. When he was about to take off her turtleneck, Miyu tried to turn away. "Like you said, Miyu. Now is not the time to be modest." He took off her turtleneck to expose her wounded shoulder. Blood was still seeping through the wound but it was not as profusely as it was before. He took off his coat and stripped off his bloody shirt. Ripping his shirt into rags, he dipped the clean rags into the basin and proceeded to clean her wounds. 

  


"This forest is owned by my foster father," Larva explained. "I was adopted when I was really small. My parents passed away in a cruise ship." Miyu winced and looked at him with vacant eyes as he continued to clean her wound. "My cousin, Carlua, also lost her parents in that accident." He proceeded to open the first aid kit. He took out some antibiotic powder and started to apply it to the wound. She closed her eyes in pain but she didn't cry out loud. "Pazusu, my foster father, took Carlua and me into his custody. From them on, he became like a father to me. I also met two great friends at that time. Their names are Spartoi and Lemures." He slipped his arm under her body and shifted her carefully to let her lean against a rock. Grabbing one of the rags, he proceeded to bind her wound. "Pazusu taught Lemures, Spartoi, and me martial arts. He was my master and my father. Spartoi, Lemures, and I had always trained in this forest." After binding her wound, he wrapped his coat around her. The basin was already filled with Miyu's blood so he took a clean rag and dipped it in the pond water. "We discovered this cave twelve years ago, when Spartoi accidentally fell off the cliff. From then on, this cave had been our hide-out." His face lit up with a little smile from the memories. "I even ran away from home once and camped here for one week." Miyu smiled at him weakly as he washed his wound. She watched as his blood flowed down along his arm and dripped into the basin.

  


"Larva." Larva looked at her as she closed her eyes.

  


"What is it, Miyu?"

  


"There is a saying that I heard when I was very small." Her breathing slowed down as she started to fall asleep. Although what she said next had came out in a slur, it was clear enough for Larva to hear. "When two people's blood intertwine, they are bounded by destiny." Larva looked at her, taken aback. He continued to watch her as she drifted off to sleep. He quickly cleansed his wound and applied some medicine to it. He walked back to the right wall and dragged out an old blanket. He walked up to Miyu and took her in his arms. Wrapping the blanket around them both, he fell asleep.

  


******

  


In the middle of the night, Larva was woken up when he heard Miyu murmuring in her sleep. "Miyu," he called out softly. Her body was shivering and her head was burning with fever. Larva grabbed some of the cloth strips and dipped them in the cool pond water. He draped them on Miyu's head and tried to bring down the fever.

  


"Mother," Miyu murmured. Her body shivered in cold sweat as her nightmare continued to haunt her.

  


"Miyu," Larva whispered to her ear. "It's me. Larva. Wake up."

  


"MOTHER!!!!" He jumped up in surprise when Miyu screamed out for her mother. To his terror, her body was no longer shaking. Instead, it had become ridged stiff.

  


"Miyu?! Miyu!" He shook her in his arms. He checked for her pulse, for her breath and was glad to find her alive. "Come on, Miyu. Snap out of it." He shook her lightly but still, she did not respond. As if she had not scared him enough, she suddenly became very limp like her life has seep out of her. "Miyu!!" Larva called out her name in panic. He found her breathing and her heartbeat had suddenly slowed down. "Miyu! Come on. Don't do this to me!" Larva wrapped his arms around her and rocked her in his arms. "Don't do this to me, Miyu. You're a fighter! Don't scare me like this!" To his great relief, Miyu's eyes at last slowly fluttered open. "Miyu," he called out her name thankfully.

  


"Larva?"

  


"Yes, Miyu." He continued to hold her close in his arms. "I am here." She nodded her head slightly and fell asleep. The next minute, Larva joined her.

  


_Next Morning_

  


"I wonder how Larva is doing," said a man with short yellow hair. On his left ear, he wore a long earring that was decorated with blue and white gems. He turned to look at his friend. He beautiful face shone with annoyance when he saw his friend playing with his sword. "Hey, Spartoi. Are you listening to me?" Spartoi turned around and looked at his friend. His short brown hair was tossed around by the wind as he approached the edge of the cliff.

  


"Come on Lemures. You know Larva. He is well capable of taking care of himself. Now, shall we?" He jumped down the cliff and landed on the platform. Lemures followed quickly after him.

  


Larva was sleeping beside Miyu when he heard some noise. He quickly jolted up from his sleep and sneaked to the right wall. He took two long sticks from there and hid one next to Miyu. He took the second one and proceeded towards the entrance of the cave.

  


Spartoi and Lemures were talking when Spartoi heard someone approaching. He silenced Lemures and they walked in silence. Lemures took off to the right and climbed up behind some rocks, while Spartoi continued to proceed down the path. Larva was hiding behind a rock when he saw the shadow of Spartoi approaching in his direction. He was about to slam his stick down on Spartoi when he recognized his old friend, and thus quickly stopped himself from doing so.

  


"Spartoi!" Spartoi turned around and was surprised to find Larva standing in front of him. Before he could call out Larva's name, Lemures jumped out from his hiding place and struck Larva from behind.

  


"Lemures! It is Larva!" Lemures watched in horror when Spartoi lifted up his unconscious friend. "Help me get him in there." As these two young men picked up Larva, Miyu jolted from her sleep. She reached out for Larva but instead of him, she felt a stick. She was about to call out for him when she saw Spartoi and Lemures dragging in an unconscious Larva. She closed her eyes and slowly reached for the stick.

  


"Man, is he heavy," said Spartoi. He looked around to find Miyu sleeping on the ground. He raised an eyebrow with amusement when he caught sight of her. He tapped Lemures on the shoulder and pointed towards Miyu. "Ain't she a pretty one. Come on. Let's check her out." Lemures and Spartoi approached Miyu and bent down towards her for a closer inspection. Before they knew it, Miyu had jabbed Spartoi on the stomach with the stick and struck Lemures on the face. The two unlucky men fell down to the ground, unconscious. Miyu weakly sat up and panted from using so much of her already drained energy. She stumbled towards Larva and shook him lightly. Larva gave out a little groan before he woke up.

  


"Miyu?" He smiled at her. He shook off his dizziness and stood up. His face lit up in amusement when he found Spartoi and Lemures lying knocked out on the ground. "I guess you have introduced yourself to my two friends, haven't you?"

  


"Oh..."

  


*****

  


Miyu was sitting with her back to the wall as Larva split the sandwich that Lemures and Spartoi have brought with them. They didn't want to eat it because Spartoi didn't think his stomach could handle it and Lemures's jaw was still too painful to chew. Larva quickly gave them a run down of what had happened.

  


"Nice to meet you, Miyu," said Spartoi. "Although, if I might say, I'd have much preferred it if our meeting has been...uhmm...less painful."

  


"I couldn't have agreed more," said Lemures. "However, we should have expected this. Worthy to be Larva's partner."

  


"And he is worthy to be mine," Miyu said flatly. She ate the last bite of her sandwich and stood up. Since her jacket and turtleneck was soaked with blood, she was only wearing Larva's coat. She proceeded to take it off but Larva stopped her.

  


"Wear it," said Larva. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her. Miyu protested.

  


"Larva, I am capable of taking care of myself. I am fine like this."

  


"No you are not." He continued to wrap the blanket around her in frustration as she meekly fought him. "Damn it, Miyu! Stop it! Don't act stupid right now!" She took one step away from him in defiance but her feet faltered. Larva managed to catch her in time before she fell down on the floor. She leaned on to his chest as he wrapped his arm around her body.

  


"I hate being weak," she murmured. "I don't want to be dependent on anyone."

  


"But you aren't weak, Miyu," said Larva. "You are always strong to me. This time you are weak because of the wound you have." He gently lifted her face upwards so he could look into her eyes. "Just depend on me this time. I am your partner and sometimes we'd need to depend on each other. It is natural." She glanced downwards and didn't say anything. However, when Larva picked her up, she did not protest. "There is another exit to this cave, Miyu. It's a thirty minute walk and we need to do a little rock climbing." He placed her on his back and gave her a piggy ride. "Go to sleep." Miyu closed her eyes obediently and fell asleep as Larva, Spartoi, and Lemures proceeded for the exit. When they reached the rocky slope, Spartoi and Lemures helped Larva climb the rocks as he held on to Miyu. They had almost reached the top when Miyu woke up from her sleep.

  


"I smell blood and wastes," said Miyu with a slight frown. They stopped in their track and sniffed the air. The scent was fairly weak but it was there. With his sword ready in his hand, Spartoi proceeded upward first. Lemures stayed behind to help Larva.

  


When Spartoi reached the top, he whistled out loud. "Come on you guys. Hurry up and look at this." Lemures and Larva quickly climbed up to the top. Larva placed Miyu on the ground when they reached the top. On the floor lied Amy and Water Lipper's dead bodies. Both of them had died from gun shot wounds. Spartoi walked up to Amy's body and frowned. "They were killed last night."

  


"They must have been killed with a silencer," said Larva. "I didn't hear any sound down in the cave last night."

  


"They failed their mission and this is their ultimate price to pay," said Miyu. "I wished they weren't dead. There are a lot of questions that I want to ask them."

  


"Not yet," said Larva. "Now is not the time." He picked her up and started to walk away. "We will find out what is going on later. Right now you need to see a doctor."

  


*****

  


A young woman with long, curly, blond hair was sitting in her foster father's mansion when the bell to her front door started to ring. She heard one of her servants opening the door to the visitor. "Who is it," the young woman called out. She walked out of her living room to find Spartoi and Lemures standing around the maid. Her aqua eyes shone with delight when she saw her two friends. "Spartoi. Lemures. What brings you guys back here so soon? It's only 3:00." Lemures was about to answer her question when she gasped in surprise. Her glance was fixed on the object of her full affection as he appeared in the doorway with an unconscious teenage girl in his arms. "Larva," She cried out in joy as she approached him.

  


"Hi Carlua," said Larva in a weary tone. Larva shifted Miyu slightly in his arms as he walked into the mansion. Carlua noticed, with some resentment, that Miyu was wearing Larva's coat.

  


"Who is she?"

  


"No time to answer," Larva said. "Spartoi, called the doctor quickly. Lemures, called the police." He ran up the stairs and headed towards his bedroom in the house. He lowered Miyu onto his bed with great care and sat next to her, holding her hand and gazing at her anxiously. Carlua followed closely after him and frowned deeply when she saw how attentive Larva was to that girl.

  


"Larva," Carlua whispered.

  
  


Author's note:

  


How do you guys like this story? Does it sound boring to you? I know there is a lot of questions but they are going to be answer in the following chapters. There is a reason why Miyu and Larva escaped so easily, and there is a reason why Amy and Water Lipper happened to drive by that forest. Tell me what you guys think of this chapter. If it is too boring...well...I wasn't intending it to be. Sigh...


	5. Confession

A Heart that is Cold 

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Acknowledgement: Rociella: Thanks for revising this chapter for me!!! I really appreciate it! Thanks! Aga and AllJAG: Thanks for your compliments! I really appreciate them. Err...here is a long list..Cats eyes 71, Pinky, Neo Starangel, Poloquizz, Saturn Angels, Maia, NeoStar22, jesean, alias451, misc, Hikaru shidou 254, No Name, Darkflames Solitude, Lafine, and last but not least Seto Aiko: Thanks for all of your reviews! I really appreciate them! They are really helpful when I am writing because I know what kind of things you like! Hehehe. tvkellyus: Love to email you but you didn't give me your email address...I need that. Xevaral: The names that I got are from the creative author of Vampire Princess Miyu, Toshihiro Hirano and Narumi Kakinouchi. These name are in the Shin-Vampire Princess Miyu series. Cait Sith is the second main evil villian in that series. Alright, with this done, I might as well get on with the story. Once again, if you have any comment, feel free to email me or you could review it over here...don't be afraid to tell me that the story is horrible...hehehe...just include how I can improve it that's all._

  


* * *

  


**Confession**

  
  


"The answer is still no, Miyu. No matter what you say, I am not letting you come with me." Larva picked up his coat from the chair and tried to walk out the door of her bedroom. However, knowing her personality, he was not surprised when she pulled him backward and blocked his path.

  


"I am not a child that is asking you for a permission to go somewhere, Larva" Miyu said calmly as she tried to hold her anger in. "In case you have forgotten I am your partner. You have no right to tell me where I can go or where I should stay."

  


"That is true," said Larva. "But ever since you've been shot, your stubborn actions have been so irrational that it made me think twice whether you have the ability to make reasonable decisions." He tried to step around her but to his annoyance, she continued to block his path.

  


"I have the exact same thought," Miyu continued on while ignoring his frown. "You've starting to let your sentiment and emotion take over your judgments. You are spending too much of your time worrying about petty things than the case."

  


"If I value your life more than the case is consider to be petty, then I don't know what I should deem important. Beside…" He growled when she placed both of her hands on the rim of the doorway. "What use will it do if you die before the case is solve?" With that question to distract her, he pushed one of arm upward with one quick movement and slipped under her arm. He quickly walked down the stair with Miyu following closed behind him.

  


"I am not the kind of people that could die that easily." He stopped when she pulled on his coat. He turned around and steadily looked at her as she stared back at him with determination. "Beside, my dear Larva, I could arrest you for involuntary confinement."

  


"Don't try to enforce the law on me, because we both know that it is not a logical argument." He pulled his coat away from her hands. "I have your sister to vouch that you are under my care and, I don't have a gun pointed at your head so there is no evidence that I am confining you."

  


"Thank you," Miyu said with a smile. Larva looked her with a moment of shock when he saw her walking back up to her room without another word. He quickly snapped out from his shock and without another thought, he ran up to her room. He found her packing her things.

  


"What do you think you are doing," asked Larva.

  


"Not only is your brain not working," said Miyu as she tossed her pastport into her bag. "Your eyesight is not working as well."

  


"That insult was not necessary," Larva said in anger. He watched as she swung her bag over her shoulder. Before she could walked out the door, he grabbed her bag away from her.

  


"Are you trying to attempt robbery?"

  


"I am trying to stop you from making another illogical decision," Larva said while he tossed her bag back on the bed.

  


"Illogical decision," Miyu said with a smile. "How is it so?"

  


"Miyu," he growled while he walked up to her. His anger flared up a notch as she continued to smile at him like she was ignorant of his anger. "You seem to have forgotten that we are at my vocational home instead of my home that is located in the city. The closest area is an hour away from here and it is a just a gas station."

  


"So basically, you are saying that I am confound in this area with no place to go, aren't you? And without any kind of transportation, I basically can't go anywhere." Larva looked at her in shock when he realized that he had fallen into her trap. "My sister is also helping you because she refused to take me away from here and when I want to leave, you stole my things away from me and refuse to let me leave. If this isn't imprisonment, then what is it, Larva?" She looked at him silently and smiled slightly. "You should watch your blood pressure old man. You might end up having a heart attack."

  


He took a deep breath to cool himself down. He walked pass her and headed down the stair. Miyu silently followed him. "You've won the argument, Miyu," he said while he turned to look at her. "But you are still not coming with me." He reached for his keys on top of the table but she managed to take it before he could make a grab at it. He sighed and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Give it back." He reached out his hand towards her but she refused to comply with his words. "Don't make me take it away from you," he warned.

  


"Is that a threat?" Miyu smiled at him and twirled the keys with one of her fingers. "I would be glad to fight you Larva. It is one of the way I could prove to you that I am physically fit to go with you." She sat down on a chair and her smile quickly disappeared, only to be replaced with a serious expression. "So what do you say?"

  


Larva walked up to her and placed his hands on the armrest of the chair. Leaning forwards, he brought his face to only an inch away from hers. Determination and stubbornness were written in the eyes of both of them as they stared at each other. "A fight will not be necessary, my dear Miyu," said Larva in a deep serious tone. "Instead I believe that this belongs to me." With her eyes on him, she didn't notice that Larva have silently moved his hand towards hers and swiped the keys away from her. Larva stood up triumphantly while Miyu glared at him from frustration. "In this case, I won. You will just have to wait until I bring back the police report from Spartoi." He walked up to the door but before he went out of it, he turned to look at her one last time. "Yui and Nagi will be here any second. I hope you will not worry your sister with one of your disappearing act." When she didn't answer, he turned and walked away. He opened the garage door and slightly smiled when he looked at his three motorcycles and a convertible lying there in perfect condition. Without even looking at his set of keys, Larva walked up to the dark blue motorcycle, located on the far left corner, and inserted the correct key for it. Within no time, he was speeding down the narrow road with the wind blowing on his face. On his way, he stopped by a gas station to fill up his motorcycle. He turned when he heard someone calling out for him and gave a slight wave when he saw the owner of the gas station.

  


"Hey, Larva," said Cyle. "What's up? I haven't seen you for such a good while. You hardly come down here anymore."

  


"I was busy," Larva replied as he looked at his old classmate.

  


"Yeah, I heard." Cyle walked out from his booth and went up to him. "Spartoi told me you've got a girlfriend." He smiled and patted Larva playfully on his shoulder.

  


"You've heard wrong," Larva simply replied. He impatiently pressed the handle on the pump harder.

  


"Come on, Larva. You don't have to be shy about it. Is she cute?"

  


"Miyu is my partner," said Larva as he placed back the pump. "That is all there is between us." He jumped onto his motorcycle and waved a quick goodbye to Cyle. Cyle cried out to him but Larva ignored it and continued to his ride. "Miyu...my girlfriend," Larva contemplated the thought to himself. "If she heard that, she would have killed Spartoi." He smiled at that. However, the idea quickly flew out of his mind when he reached the site where Miyu and him have jumped off the van. He slowed down his motorcycle and looked at the road. "Hard to believe that it was only three weeks ago when Miyu and I escaped from our capture." He sighed and drove off when images of these past few weeks past through his head. "Three weeks," he thought. "Three hellish weeks."

  


He unconsciously sped up his motorcycle when his body flared up in anger. "And that Miyu...she made my life a living nightmare." To say the least, he wasn't exaggerating. Ever since he brought her to Pazusu's house after that eventful day, the doctor had told her to rest due to her injuries. Unfortunately, Miyu seemed to be having problems understanding the meaning of the word 'rest'. He could still remember how angry he was when he found her following...actually stumbling behind Spartoi, Lemures, and him when they went to check the dead body of Water Lipper and Ami, right after when the doctor had told her to rest. "We almost attacked her." His frowned when he remembered how Lemures and he crept to the side of the road and into the forest when they heard someone was following them. Lemures would have tackled her if Larva hadn't stopped him just in time. "Worst of all, she doesn't learn!" After he had angrily picked her up and forcefully placed her back into her room, Larva walked out of the house and told a maid to look after Miyu. When he looked up at the window of Miyu's room one last time, he almost had a heart attacked when he found her trying to climb down the house from the second floor window. He ended up watching her for the rest of the day. It didn't help the matter when she disappeared on the next morning. Larva frantically looked for her, only to found that she had fainted on a dirt road in the forest. After that incident, Larva took her away from Pazusu's home and relocated themselves to his vacation house, which was located two hours away from Pazusu's house. But things were not peaceful. After that incident, Miyu's wound reopened and led to a severe infection. For one whole weeks she wasn't able to get out of bed and Larva took great care of her. Yui and Nagi constantly came over and looked after her while Larva was busy trying to explain to Van why it was taking so long for them to return. At the end of that week, Larva was shocked to find her room empty. "That Miyu," Larva growled. He found her trying to open his garage door.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"You are driving me nuts, Miyu," Larva said angrily when he saw her trying to open his garage door. She ignored him and almost hit him when he picked her up. "What the hell do you think you were doing?!"_

  


_"If you aren't going back to see the evidences, I am," Miyu tiredly retorted. "I want to solve the case...unlike you."_

  


_Larva kicked opens the door to her room, violently. Although he was angry with her, he gently laid her softly on her bed. "I was going to see the evidences but someone, who wasn't in the right condition, decided to keep me busy."_

  


_Miyu sat up from her bed with a burst of energy. "I didn't tell you to baby-sit me, Larva. I could very well take care of myself."_

  


_"From your recent actions, I doubt that you could," said Larva. _

  


_"That is only your opinion," said Miyu in a cool tone. "But right now, my ability to survive is not the important issue. The important thing right now is the case. If we would have only stay to examine Ami and Water Lipper's bodies, we could have found a clue in regarding to who have murder them and their intentions. Instead, you…" To her surprise, Larva pushed her down on her bed with his hands on her shoulder._

  


_"I value your life, unlike you," said Larva. "I value your health over this case. If we did lose some evidences, it will be due to your stubbornness to refuse to follow orders." When he saw her staring back at him defiantly, he released her and walked out of her room._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"And that is how it has been for these past weeks," Larva breathed through his teeth to calm his anger. For these past few weeks, they have been in a constant verbal battle. Neither one of them were willing to back down from their stand. Although Miyu was slowly gaining back strength, she still wasn't in the right condition to roam around. Larva smiled when he remembered how Yui and Nagi had helped him handling Miyu and how she regarded them as traitors. "And today...was no exception." He shook his head in frustration and smiled a little bit when he saw Pazusu's mansion up ahead. He parked his motorcycle outside the house and walked up the veranda to the door. He rang the doorbell and stepped backward involuntarily when Carlua yanked opens the door and threw her arms around him.

  


"Larva, you've come!" Carlua said happily as she looked at him. "I haven't seen you at all ever since you left."

  


"It's good to see you too, Carlua," said Larva as he pushed her gently away from him. "Where are Spartoi and Lemures?" She frowned when she found him looking towards the inside the house.

  


"They are in the living room." She took him by arm and led him there. Spartoi and Lemures were laughing and joking with each other when they walked in there. "Look who is here." They both turned around and waved to Larva. Larva nodded his head to them and sat down on a nearby seat. A maid entered with some cups of tea and handed one to Larva.

  


"Thank you," said Larva. The maid blushed and hurried away when she saw the flame bursting in Carlua's eyes. "Where is Pazusu?" Carlua smiled at him and sat down on his chair's armrest.

  


"He still in the company working on some minor details," she explained. "He will come back next week." Larva nodded his head. To her surprise he stood up from the seat. "Where are you going?"

  


"I'll sit over there, because I think I took your seat," said Larva. He didn't saw the hurt on Carlua's face when he sat down on another chair but turned to look at Spartoi and Lemures instead. "So, where is the report?"

  


"I am expecting that you to bring it up sooner or later," Spartoi said with a grin. He reached for his briefcase and took out a folder filled with documents. "Here are all the results of Ami and Water Lipper's death. A full police report is in there too. You better thank Lemures because he was the one that was rushing the people in his department to finish the test earlier."

  


"Thanks," said Larva as he picked up the folder. Before he could open it, his cell phone rang. "Hello?" Spartoi, Lemures, and Carlua watched with interest when they saw Larva's face turning pale then quickly into anger. He threw the folder on the table and hanged up his cell phone violently. 

  


"What is the problem," asked Lemures when he saw Larva jumped out of his chair and stormed towards the door. They followed quickly behind him. When Larva yanked open the front door, Miyu was standing there with her hand raised up to the doorbell.

  


"Miyu!" Larva glared at her while she calmly stood there. "What are you doing here?"

  


"Hi Larva," said Miyu. "The answer is quite obvious. I came here to see the police report." She smiled when she saw his anger flaring up. "Is this how you treat your guest? I guess you don't have that much of a social manner, do you? Aren't you going to invite me in?" Before she knew it, he grabbed her by her hand and pulled her into the house.

  


"If murder were not a crime, I would have gladly killed you." Larva growled at her while unconsciously dragging her toward the living room. "Do you know how worried Nagi and Yui were?!" He pushed her gently onto a chair and glared at her. To his frustration, she continued to eye him calmly.

  


"However worried they could be," she said. "They still knew enough to call you right away." She looked at the maid who came into the room to hand her a cup of tea. She looked at him calmly and silently sipped her tea when he walked around the room to calm himself down. Spartoi and Lemures watched the scene with great interest, while Carlua was frowning at the current situation. "Stop wasting my time, Larva. Where is the police report?" Larva stopped pacing around and walked up to the table. He took the file from the table and tossed it to her. She caught the file and opened it. After looking through it for a while, she gave it to Larva, who was standing beside her. She watched him as he scan though the data. When he finished with it, he closed the file and placed it back on the table.

  


"It didn't give us that much information," Larva said flatly.

  


"No kidding," said Lemures. "What do you expect? They mopped up all of the evidences after they killed Water Lipper and Ami. Those are all that we could find out with all the evidence that we gathered."

  


"So, they were killed at around 11pm," Miyu said quietly. She took the file and flipped through it again. Taking a piece of paper out of the pile, she turned to look at them and pointed at a specific area in the paper. "Who is Cait Sith and what is the 'Panmatsu Devil'?"

  


"Cait Sith is the leader of the gang called Panmatsu Devil," said Spartoi. "The Panmatsu Devil is one of the most notorious gang in this Western continent. For ten years, they have troubled the world with their constant rioting, violent murders, and daring robbery. But most notable of all, they were known for their underground drug operation." He took out Night Gia's picture and handed it to Miyu. "Night Gia was one of their men, so were Ami and Water Lipper." He leaned back on his chair when Miyu placed the picture down on the table. "They are the main assassins of the gang but..." He smiled at Larva and Miyu before he continued. "They still lost to both of you."

  


"That's not all," said Lemures as he turned to look at Miyu. "You might know this gang because they originated from Japan." Miyu raised up her eyebrow when she heard him and picked up her glass of tea slowly. "They were quite well known too but when their leader died, they scattered and came to LA to resume their business here. That was until last year someone infiltrated into their gang and ruined their whole operation." He shared a secret smiled with Larva.

  


"What was the name of them when they were in Japan," asked Miyu.

  


"The Quarl." They all turned to look at her as her cup clattered down on the floor at the answer. "You've heard of them?"

  


"Yes," Miyu said in a cold tone of voice. "I have heard of them, Lemures." She stood up from her chair and turned to walk away from them. "Please excuse me because I need to clean off this tea stain in the restroom." They all watched her in silence when she left them in a hurry.

  


"What's her problem," Spartoi asked when Larva continued to look at the door where Miyu had exited.

  


"I don't know," said Larva. He sat down and frowned. "I know it have something to do with the Quarl though," Larva thought to himself. "What is Miyu's relationship with the Quarl and what happened to her in the past?" As he thought about these questions, Carlua was talking to them. She turned to look at Larva only to see him deep in his thoughts.

  


"Larva," Carlua called out uncertainly to him.

  


"Hmm..." Larva looked up at her. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

  


"I asked you if you would like to come to the Halloween ball that we are holding next week," asked Carlua with a blush. "Pazusu is holding it as a party for the people in our company but I think he would love to have you there. Please come."

  


"I don't know," Larva said uncertainly. "Van had order Miyu and I to return back to Japan as soon as possible. Beside, I have no interest in these kinds of formal events."

  


"But the case haven't been solve over here yet," said Lemures.

  


"Since it happen in LA, we could only leave the case under your department's care."

  


"Just stay," Carlua pleaded to him. "Father (Pazusu) would really want to see you again. You haven't seen each other ever since you came back." Larva looked at the ground as he contemplate about her suggestion.

  


"And think about Miyu," Spartoi said while he sipped at his glass of wine. "I think it would be great to let her have a Halloween holiday. Don't you think she would enjoy the party?"

  


"You have the wrong assumption," Larva started. "She would rather go to the police station and looked at Ami and Water Lipper's bodies than to go to any party."

  


"That's the problem. Think about it. Miyu is only sixteen years old but she acts as a thirty years old. She is supposed to have fun at this age instead of going all over the place, trying to solve each and every one of the cases placed in front of her. Bring her to the party and let her have fun for the first time."

  


Larva sighed and shook his head. "I know her and she won't enjoy the party. But, I will take her because I want to see father." He turned to look at Carlua, only to find her frowning. "Carlua, please tell father that I will going to the party with Miyu." Carlua nodded her head silently and turned her face away from him. He looked at his watch and looked at the maid when she walked into the room. "Where is Miyu? She is taking a rather long time to clean herself."

  


"But sir," said the maid. "There is no one in the restroom." Larva started and sat up straight in alarm.

  


"What did you say?"

  


"The restroom is empty, sir. No one answered the door when I knocked on it a few seconds and..." Before she could finish her sentence, Larva had already burst out of his seat and ran to the restroom.

  


"Miyu!" Larva banged at the door but still no one answered him. Taking a step backwards, he kicked the door open only to find it empty with the windows wide open. He stormed out the house and looked around the house. "Where did she go," thought Larva as he looked around the front lawn. "Why did she leave so suddenly?!" Spartoi, Lemures, and Carlua rushed out of the door right after him and tried to calm him down.

  


"Larva calm down and start using your head," said Lemures. "First of all, we need to know how Miyu got out of here so fast."

  


"She took one of the keys to my motorcycles," Larva snapped when he grabbed his motorcycle. "She took it when we were arguing this morning...and she took my most favorite motorcycle too. What we need to think about is...." Larva froze when he remembered how Miyu reacted when she heard about The Quarl. While starting his motorcycle, Larva took out his cell phone and called Nagi. "Nagi," said Larva while he sped down the road. "Do you know what happened between Miyu and 'The Quarl'?"

  


"The Quarl," asked Nagi in surprise. "What happen?!"

  


"Miyu came over here to look at the police report that Spartoi brought over to us. When we mentioned 'The Quarl,' I notice that her reactions were abnormal."

  


"Then she must be running away from you," Nagi answered.

  


"Why?"

  


"Because she felt that she was going to put you in danger. For what reason...I can't say because it is Miyu's choice if she is to tell you about her past, not..."

  


Before Nagi could finish his sentence, Larva hanged up on him in frustration. Swerving his motorcycle to the right, he drove right into the forest. "I know what she chose," Larva thought angrily. "She chose to run away without telling me what is going on!" Branches ripped at his coat and legs but he ignored the pain and continued to speed through the forest. "She shouldn't have that much of a head start. I should catch up with her through this short cut." With the thought in his mind, Larva continued to speed through the forest while dodging the trees and rocks that were in his path. After a short time, he could hear a faint noise coming from his left. He looked at that direction and noticed that he was going to intercept the main road from its right side. To his relief, he could see Miyu driving his motorcycle at top speed and heading towards his direction. Larva sped up his motorcycle to intercept her. "Miyu!"

  


Miyu looked to her right when she heard her name and to her surprise, Larva came plunging toward her from the forest. She quickly made a sharp turn to the left with her motorcycle so that she would avoid him. To Larva's horror, her motorcycle went out of control and skidded on the floor. She threw herself off the motorcycle and rolled away from it as it slid dangerously across the road. It slammed into a huge rock and exploded. Larva stopped his motorcycle in the middle of the road and ran up to Miyu. She was lying on the floor unconscious with blood seeping from her head.

  


"Miyu," called Larva as he picked her up gently in his arms. "Miyu, wake up." She groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

  


"You are a reckless driver," Miyu muttered.

  


"I resent that comment," Larva mumbled while he placed her in front of him on the motorcycle. "Because you are the one that manage to crash my motorcycle."

  


"Where are we going?" She placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

  


"Back to my house," said Larva. He looked at his ruined motorcycle sadly and then he looked down on Miyu. "You're going to pay for that, you know." When she didn't reply, he drove back home silently.

  


_**That night**_

  


Larva stood inside Miyu's room while he watched her sleep. Ever since they got back home, Nagi and Yui had been frantically trying to heal her wound. Luckily, the cut on her head was not that severe and they were able to stop the bleeding quickly. After having checked for other injuries on her body and found none, they placed her in her bed and she had been asleep since then. Nagi and Yui left shortly after. Realizing that he was slightly hungry, Larva turned to leave the room.

  


"Larva?" Larva turned around when he heard Miyu calling out his name. He found her awake and making futile attempts to sit up in her bed. He rushed up to her and helped her up. Once he had her in a comfortable position, she looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

  


"I'm glad to see you are feeling well," Larva said sarcastically. "After that reckless driving, I am surprise you still came out of there in one piece." When she didn't say anything, Larva stood up and headed for the door. Although he wanted to ask her why she ran away, he respects her enough to not pry into her private business. He turned to look at her before he stepped outside. "I'll get you something to eat."

  


"Stay, Larva." He paused when she called out to him. "Thank you." He nodded his head in understanding. "There is something you need to know, Larva." She looked down on the bed while he sat down on her bed and looked at her silently. "The Quarl..." She looked at him with sadness written all over her face. "They killed my father and mother." Larva looked back at her in surprise. However, he did not say anything. "My father was a great detective. Like me, he worked in the drug department. Everyone admired him..." A sad smile appeared on her face. "They even said that he was a legend." She leaned back on the bedpost and looked up at the ceiling. "Father was the one who taught me and Yui how to solve cases." She smiled a little bit. "I remember that sometimes, Yui and I would drive father crazy because we ended up using those method on him and mother. They almost had a heart attack when they found out that Yui and I drilled a little hole on their closet door so that we could spy on him." Larva smiled when he saw her smiled sadly. "Mother would always yell at father because he taught us most of his tricks. Although she always yelled at father, she never meant it."

  


"Miyu," Larva said softly when her smiled disappeared. She looked downwards so that he could not see the sadness in her eyes.

  


"But...they died when I was only six years old," she murmured. "That day, Yui and I were supposed to go to my uncle house and spend the day with them, while mother and father were going to attend a ball that his department hosted. I didn't want to go so I pretended that I was sick. That morning..."

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Miyu, you can stop pretending now," said her mother. "I know you aren't really sick." She tickled her daughter softly on her side. Miyu giggled and popped up from her bed._

  


_"Stop it mother," said Miyu as she happily tried to avoid her mother's hands. "It tickles."_

  


_"That's what you get for lying," her mother scolded slightly. "Now tell me why did you lie and why didn't you want to go to your uncle's house."_

  


_"Because it is not as fun as over here," said Miyu. "Beside, last time Auntie got mad at Yui and me because we were spying on her when she was talking to uncle." She walked up and hugged her mother. "I would rather stay with you and father than going to Uncle's place."_

  


_Her mother sighed and hugged her six years old daughter. "But you know you can't go to the ball with us."_

  


_"Can't I please go," Miyu pleaded. "Please, mother. Pretty please." Her mother laughed at her daughter's innocent look and shook her head._

  


_"Don't think I will fall for that Miyu. I know you too well. I am your mother, you know. If you really want to go, you should ask your father."_

  


_"Really," said Miyu. "I will ask him right now! Where is he?"_

  


_"He is in the study room but I don't want you to ask him right now," said her mother. "You father is busy with the current case. With the 'Quarl' main leader dead, your father is working hard to find the evidences he need to put the rest of the gang members in jail."_

  


_"Okay," Miyu said with a pout._

  


_"And I think it would be best if you finish the rest of your study." She pushed Miyu to her desk._

  


_"But I'm jumping grades already and I am ahead of my class," Miyu complained._

  


_"I know," said her mother. "That is why you have to work harder than other children that are in the same age as you because you have more responsibility." She kissed her daughter on her cheek. "If you finish all of your homework, I think you can convince your father more easily to let you go with us."_

  


_"Is this what you called bribing?"_

  


_Her mother laughed at her and hugged her daughter. "I have to make your father stop talking to you like this. You're starting to sound like him."_

  


_"That's good," said Miyu. "I want to be a great detective like father."_

  


_"Why am I not surprised," said her mother. She looked up when she heard the doorbell ringing. Miyu heard her father coming out from his study room from downstairs and opened the door. "It must be Gia. Stay here Miyu." Her mother walked out of the door and closed it behind her. Miyu looked down at her work and sighed. When she lifted up her pencil to work on some math, her mother's scream pierced through the air. Miyu sat up in alarm as she heard someone running rapidly up the stairs and things hitting the ground right in her living room. Miyu jumped from her chair and walked to the door. Before she could open it, her mother burst into her room and locked the door behind her. Her face was paled and tears streamed down on her face. _

  


_"Mother," Miyu said uncertainly while she looked at her mother. "What is the..." Before Miyu could finish her sentence, her mother pulled her into a tight hug and started to cry._

  


_"Oh Miyu," she murmured sadly. "My dear Miyu." She pulled away from her daughter and kissed her on the forehead. Sounds of footsteps could be heard as they made their way up the stairs. Her mother turned and looked at the door in panic and then backs to her daughter. _

  


_"Mother?"_

  


_"Miyu," said her mother firmly. "I want you to listen to me and listen carefully." Sounds of door being kicked open could be heard outside her room. "What ever happen, you have to stay quiet, you understand?"_

  


_"But mother..."_

  


_"You understand!" Miyu nodded her head meekly and before she knew it her mother pushed her into her closet. "I love you, Miyu. I love you and Yui very much. Your father loves you too. Remember that." She kissed her daughter and hugged her tightly in her arms. "Tell Yui that we love her."_

  


_"I love you too mother," Miyu said quietly. "Mother what is going on?"_

  


_"I..." They both looked at the door when they heard someone approaching toward it. "Stay in here and remember my word." She closed the door on Miyu. Miyu looked around her and scrambled to a hole that she has drilled so that she could catch Yui for reading into her diary. She watched as her mother frantically looked around the room while someone was banging at the door. Her mother grabbed a lamp from her bedside and placed herself at the side of the door. Her face was unemotional as she waited for the door to burst open. In a few seconds, the door flew opened and a man walked into the room. Miyu watched in horror when her mother slammed the lamp right at the man's head. The man flew across the whole room with his head caved inward from the attack. Miyu stared at his mutilated head in horror. However, her attention was drawn away from him when she heard her mother cried out in pain. Stifling a cried, Miyu watched in shock when she saw her mother on the ground with blood pouring from her chest. Her mouth moved slightly as she silently called out for her husband and daughters name._

  


_"Why," her mother asked softly as blood seeped from her mouth. Miyu looked at her mother's attacker and was shocked to find it was her father's best friend and partner, Gia. His gun was held steady in his hand while he looked down at her coldly._

  


_"For the Quarl," he said coldly and without another word, he shot five more rounds in to her mother's chest. Miyu watched her mother as she died in front of her. Putting her hands over her mouth, Miyu fell back on her clothes with tears streaming down her face. Shaking from fear but more from anger, she was about to stand up and confront them. Instead she fainted from the entire trauma._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


Larva looked at her in silence as her body trembled from her remembrance. "They found me in the closet two hours later," Miyu continued on in a flat tone. Her face was unemotional as she looked at him. "They thought I was dead but they found me breathing. Uncle, Yui, and Auntie waited for me to wake up but I didn't woke up until after a month have passed."

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"You said that there was nothing wrong with her," her uncle screamed at the doctor. "Then why isn't she waking up? What is wrong with my niece?"_

  


_"I don't know," said the doctor. "There is nothing wrong with her physically, but mentally...I can't guarantee. After being in that kind of trauma, it is not surprising to have her shutting herself away from reality. Whether she wake up or not depends only on her own strength and her will because we tried everything on her."_

  


_"Oh Miyu," cried Yui. "Please wake up. Don't leave me!"_

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"But I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to face reality. I didn't want to face the pain. But..." She looked at him with coldness in her eyes. "But my uncle said one thing that woke me up. He asked me if I want revenge."

  


"I want revenge," Miyu continued on in the cold monotone. "I want to kill Gia for killing my parents and betraying their trust. When I woke up, my uncle and my aunt wanted to take us both away from there but I refused to leave. I wanted to stay and find Gia for what he did to my parents. My aunt stayed with me for two years but after that she left me." She clutched the blanket tightly in her hands. "Although they left me alone, they send me money so that they could support my education and living. For six years, I pushed myself to be the top student in my class. I also pushed myself to become a great fighter and a good detective." She looked away from him and stared at the wall. "I've been a detective at the age of thirteen but I still couldn't find Gia. He disappeared and I wasn't able to track him down." She looked back at Larva sadly. "I've never trusted anyone after that incident. I made myself unemotional and cold so that I would never get hurt again. I...I didn't need a partner. I never did want a partner because I can never learn to trust him or her."

  


"Then why are you telling me this," Larva said softly. For a moment, they stare at each other in silence. Larva moved toward her slightly and repeated his question.

  


"Because," she whispered. "Because I think I am starting to trust you." Without another word, she threw herself into his open arms. Larva stroked her head softly as she cried for her lost parents and for all the pain she have felt for these last ten years.

  


"She is just a child," Larva thought to himself as he silently comforts her. For a while he sat there, hugging her and rocking her while she cried in his arms. Gradually her breath became even and she fell asleep in his arms. He slid himself under the blanket and continued to hold her. He placed his head on top of hers and closed his eyes.

  


_**The night of the ball**_

  


Larva adjusted his dark blue cloak around his body. He lifts up the hood on his back and placed it on his head. While he adjusted his hood, his eyes glanced at the pair of white gloves that was on the table. Taking one of them in his hands, he looked at the little black lines on it and the long red fingernails on it. He looked at the clock at his right and quickly put the gloves on when he noticed the time. Grabbing his mask from his bed, he headed out of his room and straight to Miyu's. "Miyu," he called out while he knocked at her door. She opened her door and frowned.

  


"I don't like this costume," she murmured. She pulled her short white kimono on the bottom to try to cover more of her leg. Her hair was tied back with the same red ribbon that Larva has given to her. On her left foot, the same kind of red ribbon was wrapped around it.

  


"You look fine, Miyu," said Larva when she tugged on the red ribbon that held her kimono together. "You asked for a simple kimono and this is the only one that I could find in this area."

  


"I am starting to wonder, why am I going to the ball," Miyu muttered. "Your father's friends have nothing to do with me. Whether I go or not will not make a difference."

  


"This is the order of Van," said Larva. "He told you to have some fun after what you have gone through."

  


"I am not an idiot," Miyu said when she turned to look at him. Her eyes shined in a beautiful golden color in the light due to the effect of contact lens. "Van wouldn't have known about this party if you have not told him about it."

  


"I am not an idiot either," said Larva. He placed his hands on her shoulder and guided her out of the room so that she could not adjust her kimono in front of the mirror. "I know you, my dear Miyu. You are not the kind that follows orders. If you didn't want to go to the ball, no one could force you."

  


Miyu smiled at his words. "You are quite correct. Although I oppose with this costume but as a respect for your father, I will wear it."

  


"I believe that is not the only reason you want to go to the ball," Larva simply said. "I assume you will like to talk to Spartoi and Lemures about the case."

  


"You starting to know me very well, Larva." She smiled at him when the doorbell rang. They went and open the door only to find a guy standing there with a fake gun pointing at them. His two children were standing near them with a smile on their face.

  


"Stick up," the man joked. "Give me all of your candy or else I will have to shoot you." To his surprise, Miyu frowned at his action and swiftly took out her gun. The man widened his eyes in terror and lowered his fake gun when Miyu pointed her very real gun at him.

  


"Police," she said flatly while taking out her badge from her kimono. "You are under arrest for threatening civilian. You have the right to remain silent..." Larva stopped her when he saw the man trembling and his two little children hugging his legs.

  


"That's enough, Miyu," said Larva. He gently lowered Miyu's hand that held the gun and stepped up to the man. "If you are a wise man, you will put that gun away." The man nodded his head and put his gun into his pocket. He quickly thanked Larva and ran out of there as fast as his legs could carry him with his children trailing behind. Larva turned to look at Miyu and noticed she was putting her gun back onto the gun holster that is strapped around her leg. Before she could put it back in there, Larva took her gun away from her and tossed it on the table. "That action was not necessary. However, I can't risk having you pointing them at my father's guest."

  


"Are you questioning my abilities?"

  


"For safety measure," Larva replied. He took his keys from the table and they both walked out of the house. Placing his mask on his face, he got into his convertible with Miyu and started the car. While he was warming up his car, he turned to look at Miyu. He saw her looking at a lipstick in her hand. "What are you doing?"

  


"I am observing the lipstick," said Miyu. She quickly placed it back into a hidden pocket in her kimono. "The color looks like blood." She turned to look at him and gave him an irritating smile.

  


"I have no interest in women's attires or makeups," Larva flatly.

  


"Neither have I," said Miyu.

  


"And you are a girl."

  


"That personal insult was not necessary," Miyu replied. Larva smiled as they reverted back to their old routine. She looked at him as he scanned the road. "I could arrest you for dangerous driving because your mask is obscuring your vision." Larva took off his mask and handed it to Miyu. She took it and put it on. To her surprise, she could see clearly through it.

  


"I've made that mask myself so that I could drive safely with it on," said Larva. For a while, they continued to drive in silence as they enjoy the night. He looked at his gas meter and stopped by the gas station to refuel his gas. Taking the mask from Miyu's hand, he placed it back on his face. While he was refueling his gas tank, Miyu walked out of the car and stood next to him. To her surprise, she felt a little tug on the skirt of her kimono. She looked downwards to find a little girl looking up at her.

  


"What do you want, little girl," Miyu asked. 

  


"What are you, miss," asked the girl. "You look really pretty." She looked at Miyu's eyes and reached out to touch her face but she could not reach her face. "Your eyes are really pretty."

  


"Where is your mother," Miyu asked. Larva looked at them as he watched the little girl trying her hardest to touch Miyu's face.

  


"Mama is inside the store," the little girl answered. "My name is Nina. What is your name?"

  


Miyu looked at her for a while and gave her a little smile. "My name is Miyu. I am a vampire princess." She turned to look at Larva. "And this is Larva, my servant. He is a western shima." Larva raised his eyebrows in surprise but stood there in silence.

  


"Are you really a vampire," asked Nina. She looked at Miyu and frowned. "You are a liar, Miss. Miyu. Vampires have fangs and they have huge wings like this." She spread out her arms and flapped her arms around like a bat.

  


Miyu smiled at her innocence and shook her head. "I am not a regular vampire. I am a princess. I am a guardian of the Japanese shima realm. My destiny is to return all the shimas back to the darkness."

  


"Miss, you are going to hell for lying," said Nina. 

  


"You don't believe me?" Nina shook her head. "If..." Miyu stumbled backward on the car and sat on it weakly. Larva rushed up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  


"You must be hungry," said Larva in a low and serious tone. "Come on, Miyu. Take my blood." He cupped her face with his hands and lifted her face toward his neck. Nina watched them as Miyu's face turned away from her and stopped at Larva's neck. For a moment, they stayed at that position.

  


"Stop acting...," started Nina. However she didn't finish her sentence, when she saw Larva's hand dropped down from Miyu's shoulder and hung limply on his side. "Mister??" Larva slumped forward on Miyu's body and leaned on her body weakly.

  


"Larva," asked Miyu as she opened the door to the car. She placed him gently in the car. "Rest now." Miyu got out of the car and turned to look at the Nina. Nina's eyes widened in horror when she saw the deep red color on Miyu's lips. Miyu's golden eyes don't look pretty to her anymore. Instead it gave her an eerie feeling and a sense of terror. Miyu's face shifted into a smile when she saw Nina standing there in shock. She walked up to her slowly with one of her hand stretched out to her. "Give me your blood and I will give you eternal happiness." Nina took two steps backwards when Miyu approached her. "Don't be scared. It won't hurt. Don't you want to escape from your pain?" Nina's face lit up in terror when Miyu stood in front of her. Before Miyu could touch her, Nina turned around and ran straight to the store.

  


"Mommy!!!!" Miyu watched with a smile when she saw Nina yanking open the door to the store.

  


"I'll say that went very well," said Larva when he slid out of the car. He took off his mask and smiled at her. "However, I could not say that for our case. Don't you think it is best we get out of here before her mother decides to hunt us down?"

  


"Yes." Miyu walked back quickly to the passenger side while Larva pulled out the pump and closed the door to his gas tank. He quickly got on his driver seat and started the car. As they sped out of the gas station, they could see an angry woman walking out of the store with a little girl in her hands.

  


"I don't think she will wander off by herself again," said Larva while Miyu was trying to scrub the lipstick off her lips. She nodded her head and lay back on her seat. They continued to drive in silence as they headed toward his father's house. When they reached there, many cars were parked around the area. He parked his car on his reserved area and got out of the car. He quickly walked up to Miyu's side and opened the door for her.

  


"Thank you," said Miyu as she stepped outside. "But I could...Larva!" Miyu cried out in alarm as Larva lifted her up in his arms. "Let me down," she said calmly. Larva knew that he was treading on dangerous ground but he ignored her demand.

  


""I'm your servant, Miyu," said Larva while returning her with an irritating smile of his. "I am supposed to serve you."

  


"Then listen to my command and put me down."

  


"No," said Larva. He watched in silence when she pulled back one of her hand to punch him. "I wouldn't do that. If I fall, you will fall as well."

  


"I would rather risk the pain," Miyu said. Before she could punch him, Larva placed her down on the ground. "Wise decision."

  


"You're wrong. The right decision would be to have me carry you into the house where the floor is clean and smooth than to walk there on your bare feet." Miyu looked down at her bare feet. "I have no intention of carrying you if you cut your feet on the ground." When Miyu didn't say anything, Larva picked her back up in his arms and carried her to his house. Carlua was waiting near the door with a young man with short wavy black hair.

  


"Don't bother me, Lemunia," said Carlua distractively while she continued to look for Larva. "Go play with someone else." She didn't notice the sadness in his face as she continued to look for Larva. She saw him coming and her face lit up in a smile. "Lar..." Her cried died in her throat when she saw him carrying Miyu in his arms. Lemunia turned to look in the direction that she was staring and frowned. She turned away from the door and disappeared into the crowd.

  


"Carlua, wait," said Lemunia. He tried to follow her but failed. He turned around in anger and glared at Larva as he placed Miyu on the floor of his home. He walked up to Larva and glared at him. "Who is she?!"

  


Larva looked at the angry young man standing in front of him and turned to look at Miyu. "This is Miyu," Larva said flatly. "She is my partner." Lemunia stepped back in shock.

  


"Your partner? But I thought..." He looked at Miyu to find her looking at him. "Carlua saw you together." Larva's face darkens when he heard what Lemunia said.

  


"I'll talk to her," said Larva. "Look over Carlua if you can, Lemunia." Lemunia looked at him and nodded his head. He turned to Miyu and shook her hand.

  


"My name is Lemunia. It is my pleasure to meet you."

  


"The same," said Miyu. Larva tapped her softly on her shoulder and they turned to look at Spartoi and Lemures as they come toward them.

  


"Hey," said Spartoi. "You guys are late. Pazusu have been waiting for you two." Larva nodded his head and they all headed toward Larva and Carlua's foster father. They found him talking to some of his business workers with Carlua hanging on his arms. He was dressed in a white turban and his beautiful dark hair was tied back into a ponytail. They both turned to look at them as they approached. Carlua quickly excused herself when she saw Miyu and walked away. Lemunia followed right after her.

  


"Larva," said Pazusu as he walked up to his foster son. "I haven't seen you for such a long time." He wrapped his arms around him and they hugged each other tightly. "How have you been?"

  


"I'm doing fine, father," said Larva. Although she didn't show it, Miyu was quite surprise to see some tears in Larva's eyes as he looked at his father. "How have you been doing?"

  


"Never been better since I saw you," said Pazusu. He turned to look at Miyu. "You must be Miyu." Miyu nodded her head and shook his hand. "Thank you for looking over my son."

  


"You son don't need other people to look after him," said Miyu. "His skills are better than mine."

  


"Don't believe her, father," said Larva. "Miyu is just being humble...however, this is the first time that she have ever admit that I am better than she is." He noticed the little smile that Miyu is giving him so he knew he should not push the matter further.

  


"Spartoi and Lemures have told me a lot about you," said Pazusu. He frowned when some of his colleagues called out for him. "We should talk some time."

  


"It would be my pleasure," Miyu said politely.

  


"I'll come with you," said Larva. He looked at Miyu before he walked away with his father. Spartoi and Lemures looked at Miyu and shrugged their shoulder.

  


"So...what do you want to see," asked Lemures.

  


"I don't know," said Miyu. "There is nothing particularly interesting to me." She turned to look at Lemures. "However, I would like to know from your own mouth about the detail of the test result." Spartoi laughed out loud while Lemures frowned slightly.

  


"Why am I not surprised," Lemures murmured. "As I've said before, they were both killed around 11pm. The bullets that were found near their area are similar to the bullets that are in their gun. However, these bullets did not come from their own guns, therefore, we could throw away the idea of suicide. From their wound, we also confirmed that the distant they were shot were approximately three feet away from the shooter." He took a sipped of his drink. "Ack...Champagne." He turned around and poured the rest of them in another person's glass while the woman holding the glass was busily talking to someone else. "No other injuries were found in their body so that means that there wasn't any struggle between them and their murderer. Therefore, it indicates that they must have known their killer. Footsteps and other information were obscured because the murderer swept the ground. And their van was found where they have stopped when they went and chased after you guys." Miyu nodded her head.

  


"That is still not much to go by," said Miyu. "All we just knew is that they are assassins from Quarl."

  


"And there is no hint for any motive too," said Spartoi. "We couldn't find anything in their van."

  


"Come on, Spartoi," said Lemures. "We both know what the mo..." Spartoi hit him softly on his chest when Miyu looked upward abruptly.

  


"Did Larva say anything to you?" she asked coolly. They both looked at her in confusion.

  


"Huh, Larva?" Lemures walked up to her. "What would Larva have to say to us?"

  


"Nothing." For a moment they stood there in an uncomfortable silence. Some beautiful women walked up to them and invited Spartoi and Lemures to dance. "Go," said Miyu when they both looked at her uncertainly. She watched them as they walked away. Annoyed with the crowd and their flashing costume, she quickly retreated to the patio to think things over. She hadn't stood there for long when Larva came and joined her.

  


"Boring, isn't it," asked Larva. Miyu nodded her head. He handed a glass of water to her but she placed it on the rail.

  


"There is something I want to know," said Miyu.

  


"Speak."

  


"The Quarl are not only after me, aren't they? They are also after you." Miyu saw the frown appeared on Larva's face.

  


"You're right," said Larva. "Remember what Spartoi said? He told you that the gang was ruined because…"

  


"I know," Miyu interrupted. "I deduced that it was you."

  


Larva nodded his head. "I was an undercover cop three years ago and they sent me to investigate the Panmatsu Devil. I joined in their gang so that I could get inside information. At first, I was just a little rookie but one day, I saved Cait Sith's life and I was promoted to be one of his top supervisor." He took a drink from his cup of water and sighed. They stood there in silence as they looked up at the stars. She placed her hand on his shoulder to indicate that she understood. "I'm sorry, Miyu. I will tell you when I am ready."

  


"Apologies are not needed," said Miyu. "You've respect my right, and I respect yours. But right now, what is important is that, I know that they are not only after me. They are after you as well."

  


"And that is where I have some things that I don't understand," said Larva. "Why are they only after you and not Yui? They know that Yui is your sister but yet, she have been safe for so many years." He turned to look at her. "She is in the United State for so many years yet nothing happen to her. Why are they only after you?"

  


"I don't know," said Miyu. "Maybe Gia knew that I was there when he killed my father and mother, so that is why he is after me."

  


"That wouldn't be a sufficient answer," said Larva. "You aren't the only one that saw them. Some other people saw them too."

  


"I know. But I can't think of other reason besides that. If they want to kill me because my father broke up their gang then that would also applied to Yui and me. I can't think of one specific reason why they want to target me, only."

  


"And why would they waste their best assassins on killing you? Why would Cait Sith use so much effort to capture you and kill you?" 

  


"I'm not the only one that he want," said Miyu to remind him. "But you just brought up an interesting issue. Why did they drive over here? Why did they tie us in a position that they know that we could escape easily?" Larva shook his head as he contemplated Miyu's question. Miyu looked out at the forest in frustration but in an instant it all came to her. "I know why." She turned to look at Larva. "They didn't plan to kill us at all." Larva quickly nodded his head in understanding.

  


"You're right," said Larva. "Now that you mention it, it all made sense now. The whole thing was a warning to us. Ami and Water Lipper could have killed us but they only chased us. When Ami shot you, Water Lipper told him that Cait Sith want us alive, not dead. This whole thing is a set up."

  


"First of all, they drugged us but not too strongly so that they could make sure that we wake up before they reach their destination. Second, they tied us in a position that they know that we could escape easily. Third, they brought us here because they know that this is your territory and you will have the advantage over them." Larva nodded his head. "But something doesn't make sense. Why did Ami and Water Lipper chased after us even though they are suppose to let us go? Why did they pursue us so violently?"

  


"It must all be under the order of Cait Sith," Larva said flatly. "Assassins who work under him never asked questions. I think Cait Sith must have ordered them to capture us and bring us to this certain destination. He must have also told them to drug, tied, and placed us in certain ways so that we could escape easily. When we escaped from them, Cait Sith have them killed even though he knew that we would escape." He hit the rail and Miyu have to grab her glass of water or else it would have toppled over the rail. "They were just a pawn in his own game."

  


"Cait Sith is just as bad as the last leader," Miyu said coldly.

  


"You know the last leader," Larva asked cautiously.

  


"Yes. Actually, my father was the one who put her in jail."

  


"Your father?"

  


"Yes, and he was the one who killed her too." She noticed the surprised look on Larva's face and sighed. "Mother, Yui, and I were also there that night."

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Hi father!" Miyu's father looked up from his work and smiled when he saw his wife and two little daughters running straight at him. He opened his arms and took them in his arms. _

  


_"How is my two little detectives doing?" asked their father._

  


_"I caught Yui looking at my diary," said Miyu proudly. Yui blushed from embarrassment. Their father laughed when Yui playfully hit Miyu on her arms._

  


_"You weren't supposed to be there," said Yui. "You said that you would be outside."_

  


_"I said that so that I could catch you," said Miyu._

  


_"Miyu," scolded her mother. "How many times have I told you to stop lying?" Miyu looked downwards while Yui stuck out her tongue at her._

  


_"Come on, honey," said her father. "Don't scold Miyu. She is just playing right?"_

  


_"Right," said Miyu._

  


_"And you are the one that is being the bad role model," said her mother. Her father smiled at her as they continued their normal bickering. Yui smiled but Miyu looked at them with a yawn. While they continued to throw little insults at each other, Miyu grabbed one of the lunchbox that her mother had made for her father and Gia and tried to look for Gia. She didn't saw him in the room so she went outside to look for him. As she looks around, she saw a dark figure creeping across the prisoner's field._

  


_"She is trying to escape," thought Miyu. She looked around and found an alarm. Without thinking, she slammed the lunch box on the alarm. A blaring noise pierced the silent night as the alarm went off. Miyu watched as the shadow started to break into a run. "Father," Miyu screamed out loud as she chased after the shadow. Her father ran out of his office to find his daughter in hot pursue of the escaping suspect. He cursed and ran after them as fast as he can. It didn't take long for him to catch up with his little daughter._

  


_"Go back to your mother," her father said as he passed her and continued to chase after the shadow. Miyu panted from exhaustion and looked at her father and the shadow. Policemen were already surrounding the area but the suspect was still running at top speed towards the wall. "Freeze!" The suspect ignored Miyu's father's warning and continued to run. Miyu watched in shock when her father took out his gun and fired at the suspect. The person felled down on the floor immediately and remained in that position._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"I didn't know who that person was until my father told me that she was the leader of the Quarl." Miyu turned to look at Larva only to find him staring at her seriously. "Speak."

  


"The person that your father killed was Cait Sith's mother," Larva said flatly. Miyu looked at him and nodded her head.

  


"I suspected that. I guess it make sense now, doesn't it?"

  


"And this mean you are in danger, more than you ever expect. They are moving in on us."

  


"Not on you," said Miyu. "Mainly on me."

  


"On us both," Larva said firmly. He lifted up his glass of water to her. "Do you remember?" Miyu looked at her glass of water and held on to it tightly in her hand.

  


"You'll be in danger."

  


"I know." Miyu smiled and lifted her glass of water up to his.

  


"You won't regret this?" Miyu asked the final time. Larva clicked their glasses together and they both drain the water in their glasses. "I think they didn't think that we would end up being partners."

  


Larva nodded his head. They stood in silence as they looked out to the stars.

  


"Larva?" He turned around to find Lemunia calling out his name. He walked up to them and smiled at Miyu. "Carlua wants to see you." Larva nodded his head.

  


"Okay," said Larva. He turned to Miyu and gave her his empty glass. "I will get you once I finish talking to my cousin." She nodded her head and watched him stepped back into the ballroom.

  


"Pazusu would like to see you," said Lemunia. Miyu nodded her head and they both walked into the ballroom. People were laughing and talking as they compliment each other's costume. Miyu caught Spartoi showing off his sword skills to some girls while Lemures shook his head and laughed when Spartoi stumbled on a rug. "Is Larva only your partner?" Miyu looked back at Lemunia with surprise.

  


"Larva is my partner," said Miyu simply. "And he saved me before. I own him my life." Lemunia nodded his head and remained silent because he knew that was the best answer that she could give him. They found Pazusu taking a rest at one corner of the room. He stood up from his chair when he saw Miyu. "Please sit, sir." Pazusu nodded his head and sat down on his chair. Miyu sat right across to him. Lemunia bowed his head to Pazusu and walked away.

  


"Are you having fun, Miyu," asked Pazusu. When Miyu didn't say anything, he laughed slightly. "I'm not having that much fun either, so don't worry if you're not."

  


"I'm not worried," said Miyu.

  


Pazusu nodded his head. "You remind me of Larva so much, do you know that? Your personalities are so similar." When Miyu didn't say anything, he smiled. "Lemures told me that you two were put together in the first place. How do you like Larva now?"

  


"He is a good partner," Miyu said flatly. "I couldn't have asked for a better one."

  


"And I believe he couldn't have asked for a better one either," said Pazusu. "Thank you for saving my son's life."

  


"I am the one they want. Therefore, it is my responsibility to look after Larva." Pazusu nodded his head.

  


"Do you know about Larva's past?"

  


"I know as much as he is willing to tell me," said Miyu.

  


Pazusu sighed and shook his head. "You really are quite similar to each other. It's no wonder Larva gets along with you so well." He sighed and waved his hand around to indicate the whole house. "Do you like this mansion?"

  


"I prefer simplicity."

  


"Larva preferred that too," Pazusu murmured. "That is why he chose to become a detective." A maid walked by and handed them two cups of coffee. "Larva's father and Carlua's father are my partners in our company. One day, they went to..."

  


"I know," Miyu interrupted. "Larva told me how his parent died."

  


"Then I won't bother to go into the deep explanation." He took a sip of his coffee. "Larva and Carlua are the heirs to their parent's portion of the company. I am just looking over for them till the time comes. However, I never expected Larva to become a detective." When Miyu continued to sit there in silence, Pazusu continued on with his story. "At first, I was surprised because I thought that Larva would follow his father's footsteps. He has the potential because he worked for our company when he was on holiday. However, I think that his interest is just not there." He placed his cup back on the table. "Larva is always silent. He hardly shows his emotion." He looked at Miyu and smiled. "I remember that he said he would never find a partner because he doesn't like to work with other people."

  


"I guess that means I'm special," Miyu said wryly.

  


"You are," said Pazusu. "You are special to Larva." He leaned forward to Miyu. "Lemures and Spartoi told me how Larva has been treating you for these past few weeks and frankly speaking we are quite amazed at his actions."

  


"You aren't the only one."

  


Pazusu laughed at her remark but his face quickly reverted back to a serious look. "I mean it. Larva has never worried for anyone so much before...well, not that openly. Larva don't like to express his emotion to other people and to have him showing you so much of his affection indicate that you must mean a lot to him." He took Miyu's hands in his. "Please promise me this, Miyu. As a father to him, Larva means a lot to me. You seem to be the only one who manages to break his barrier. Help me take care of him."

  


Miyu looked at the older man as he pleaded to her. "Larva is also the only person that manages to break my barrier," Miyu thought to herself. She nodded her head and smiled at Pazusu. "I'll do what I can." Pazusu smiled and leaned backward onto his chair. He released her hands and grabbed for his cup of coffee.

  


"Thank you."

  


_**Pazusu's study room**_

  


"Carlua," called out Larva when he stepped into the room. He found her standing there with her back faced towards the door. He closed the door slowly and leaned back on it. For a moment, they stood there in silence as each of them waited for the other to say something. When three minutes past and she didn't said anything, Larva straightened up from his position and reached for the door.

  


"Do you love me?" Larva turned around to look at Carlua. She slowly turned to face him with tears streaming down her face. "I asked you, do you love me."

  


Larva sighed. "Carlua, I care for you as my cousin and that is all." He looked at her as she stumbled backwards and hit the table. Larva walked toward her when she cried out from pain, but before he reached her, she raised up a hand to stop him.

  


"Don't touch me," she whispered as she tried to control her emotion. "I can't bear to have you touch me, right now."

  


"I'm sorry Carlua," Larva said flatly. "I don't want to lie to you. I'll leave you in peace." Larva turned around to leave only to have Carlua pounced on him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  


"Don't leave me." She cried on his shirt. "Don't leave me, Larva."

  


"I'm so..." 

  


"I don't need your apologizes," Carlua snapped. "I just want you to stay here with me!"

  


Larva gently pried her hands away from him. "I can't stay. If I do, I will end up hurting you more." He took two steps towards the door but she ran up to him and blocked his way. "Carlua."

  


"Then do you love her?" Larva looked at her blankly as she glared at him. "Answer me!"

  


"Miyu is my partner. That is all it is between us." Larva walked past her but she grabbed him by his arm.

  


"Liar! I saw how you looked and acted around her!" She looked at him pleadingly. "Please, just tell me the truth." Larva stared at her silently and gently took her hand away from his arm. She watched him as he reached for the door.

  


"I don't know how I feel for Miyu," said Larva. "I just know..." Larva paused when he remembered what Miyu said to him in the cave. "I just know that we are bounded by destiny." He turned to look at Carlua. "Miyu needs me. I am one of the people that she trusts."

  


"She needs you," Carlua murmured. "I need you too."

  


Larva shook his head. "I need her. Somehow, she is very important to me because she is the only person that can break down my barrier." Larva opened the door and stepped out. "And I am very important to her because I am the first and only person she has ever trusted for a long time." He closed the door and left Carlua crying softly in the room. Lemunia was waiting outside of the room. He looked at Larva when he stepped out of. "Have you heard everything?" Lemunia nodded his head. Larva walked passed him and patted him on the shoulder. He could hear Lemunia opening the door quietly and entering the room. Larva headed down the stairs and started to search for Miyu. He saw her talking to his father. As he made his way there, he saw Pazusu taking his hands away from Miyu. Miyu smiled at Pasuzu and looked up in Larva's direction.

  


"Hi, Larva," she said when he finally reached them.

  


"What were you two talking about," Larva asked when Miyu and Pazusu stood up to greet him.

  


"Nothing much," said Pazusu. "I was just telling Miyu about our company." He turned to look at Miyu and smiled at her. "Are you two leaving?"

  


"Yes, father," said Larva. He hugged Pazusu.

  


"Come back and see me often." He shook Miyu's hand. "You try to come back too." Miyu nodded her head. With one last wave, they departed from his presence.

  


"What did you two talk about?" Larva asked Miyu as they went through the crowd.

  


"You are a detective," said Miyu. "Try to figure it out yourself." She giggled when Larva remained silent. When they reached the door, she looked at Larva and shook her head. "I would rather walk myself." However, when Larva picked her up, she did not struggled. He placed her back on the car and drove off. On the way back home, they sat in silence as they contemplated the events happened at the ball.

  


Larva glanced at Miyu occasionally while she sat there staring out into the forest. "She have the right to know," thought Larva as he drove back home. "It is the right thing to do." When they reached back home, Larva parked his car. Miyu stepped out of the car and walked through the grassy front lawn to reach to the door. He took the mask he had left inside the car and opened the front door for her.

  


"Goodnight, Larva," said Miyu as she walked back to her room.

  


"Wait." Miyu turned around only to find Larva standing right behind her. She looked up at him and waited for him to speak. "Before we leave for Japan tomorrow, I need to bring you to an important place." Miyu nodded her head. He smiled and turned to walk back to his room. "Goodnight Miyu." With a slight yawn, Miyu waved goodnight before she stepped into her room. She walked up to her bed and took off her contact lens before she plopped down on her bed and fell asleep.

  
  


**Author's note:**

  


Hmm...I know that it have been a while since I update...sorry...I have been really busy for these past few months...summer school and work...they could drive you nuts. I hope you like this chapter...especially the scene with the little girl...hehehe. I have fun writing that. Is it too dramatic?? I mean the part where Larva and Carlua have their conversationa and the part about Miyu's past. I hope it isn't. I know that there wasn't a case in this chapter and there wasn't too much action but I can gurantee there is going to be a lot of them in the next. And well, Larva and Miyu's characters seem to be out of the ordinary but maybe this is due to the lack of action and well, like the title said, confession. They tend to show more of their emotion over here instead of keeping their cool. But don't worry, they won't be like this for long...yep, a little sappy in this chapter (don't really like writing sappy story). I hope you like this chapter. Oh yeah, I will try to update this sooner because I finished with one of my fanfic so I have more time to work on this. See ya in next chapter and acknowledgement is written right after disclaimer....right at the top of the chapter.


	6. Betrayal

A Heart that is Cold 

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Acknowledgement: Rociella: Thanks for revising this chapter for me!!! I really appreciate it! Thanks! Aga and AllJAG: Thanks for your compliments! I really appreciate them. Glad that you guys actually like the last chapter. Err...here is a long list..Gwen, Svelte Rose, Steahl, Lafine, No Name, Ember-fang, and three blanks: Thanks for all of your comment. I am glad you like the chapters. Hehehe. Xelena: Yep...I try to keep their characteristics intact. Seto Aiko: I am glad that you like that scene. I thought I was over exaggerating. Dark Phoenix: I am glad that you like the scene with Carlua and Larva...it is one of the hardest scene to write. Coconut: Thanks for your review...I am really flatter. Thanks! Renn Ireigh: I really appreciate your review. I also love to read your story!!! I just haven't have time to read them yet..sigh. Ice-cold: Err...was that a good eeps or bad eeps...hehehe. Opps...almost forgot Nikki...thanks for putting my story at your website! And last but not least...Saturn Angels: Thanks for reminding me to update...I am sorry that I am taking such a long time to update...I have been really busy. Sorry. ALRIGHT: Everyone...uhm...once again, thank you for your review. I hope you like this chapter._

  


* * *

  


**Betrayal**

  
  


"The wind is picking up," Miyu thought. She looked up at the gloomy sky and pulled her jacket tighter around her to keep out the cold. She turned to look at Larva, who is standing silently right beside her. His coat rustled in the wind as he stood there looking down at a grave. Miyu turned her glance away from him and looked at the tombstone that is standing right in front of them. Miyu unconsciously looked at her time before she turned her attention back to Larva.

  


"Garline," Larva muttered. It was the first time he had spoken since they reached there three hours ago. During those three hours, Larva had been just standing there lost in his own thoughts, and Miyu had been standing next to him in silence. "Garline." Larva bowed his head and finally looked at the bouquet of flowers he was holding. Taking out a single rose from the bouquet, he gently laid it on top of Garline's grave. Miyu took her bouquet of flower and bent downwards to place it beside Larva's rose. "Miyu." She looked up at him, while noticing his glance was still focused on Garline's grave. His expressions were clouded when he sank back to his own thoughts. Miyu stood up from her position and waited for him to continue. "Garline was my first partner." Miyu raised her eyebrow in surprise but she didn't say anything. She watched him as he took the rest of the flowers and put them on Garline's grave. After giving one last bow to Garline, Larva turned to look at Miyu before they headed out of the forest. "Do you remember what I told you at the party?"

  


"Yes," Miyu answered. Larva placed one of his hands on her shoulder as he guided her through his father's forest.

  


"I met Garline after I got promoted from my position in the Quarl. He was one of Cait Sith's most trusted assassins."

  


"And he was your partner," said Miyu. Larva nodded his head.

  


"Cait Sith assigned him to be my partner," Larva replied coldly. "He wanted me to become an assassin just like Garline." Miyu looked at Larva as he stared off towards a far off distance. "Garline had trusted me ever since he saw me. Even when his assassination attempts failed considerably after I was paired up with him, he still trusted in me." He sighed inwardly. "He didn't know I was warning his victims until I revealed my identity openly. Even when I was about to arrest him, he still didn't believe that I betrayed him."

  


Miyu looked at Larva in alarmed. "You've let him go, didn't you," asked Miyu slowly. When Larva didn't answer her, she shook her head. "Larva, you've made one of the worst mistakes that an undercover cop could ever make. It is fatal to befriend your enemies because your sentiment for them could ultimately cause your own downfall. You are also putting your own team members' lives in danger."

  


"I know," Larva murmured.

  


Miyu paused when she heard the sadness in Larva's voice. Unconsciously, she turned around and looked back at the little clearing where Garline's grave laid. "It almost looks like a sanctuary," Miyu thought. Her eyes widened as she realized the significance of the thought. "How did he die?" Miyu asked Larva quietly. What Larva said next confirmed her guess.

  


"He died because of me," said Larva. He ran his fingers through his short blue hair. "We managed to capture some of Cait Sith's followers but many of the main leaders managed to escape. Two months before I was transferred to Japan, Cait Sith sent Gigi to assassinate me."

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_Larva took off his helmet and pulled out the key from his motorcycle. Placing his helmet on top of his motorcycle, he walked out of his garage and closed it. He stifled a yawn and looked at the clear night sky. With his keys in his hand, Larva turned to open his front door. He quickly stopped himself when he saw his first floor window was a little bit ajar. Taking out his gun from his coat, Larva silently and quickly dashed to the side of his house. With all of his senses at high alert, he scanned his surroundings before diligently climbed up his house. Within a few seconds, he was able to perch himself next to his second floor window. Taking a wire out from his pocket, he managed to pick open the window and climbed into his room. He silently closed the window before he proceeded quietly through his dark bedroom. Breathing steadily, Larva opened the door to the hallway slowly and walked outside. He could hear noises downstairs as he walked slowly across his hallway. When he reached the stairs, he proceeded down it cautiously. He could hear someone tapping his foot impatiently inside his living room. Raising his gun higher, he peaked into his living room to find a man sitting on his chair, with his back faced toward him. Silently, Larva proceeded toward the man with his gun pointed right at him. After taking two-steps, Larva paused when he realized his stupidity. "Nice trick," Larva said coldly, while putting his hands downward. His assumption was confirmed when he heard the click of a gun right behind him._

  


_"You've always been smart," Gigi answered with his gun pointed at Larva's head._

  


_"Obviously not smart enough." Larva turned around slowly to faced Gigi. His eyes flashed with coldness as he stared at his to-be killer. "Sorry to spoil your sport, Gigi. I know you love to see your victims fall for your idiotic tricks." He smiled slightly when Gigi flared up in anger._

  


_"You have a smart mouth for someone who is about to die," Gigi growled. He glared at Larva and was about the pull the trigger when a bullet pierced though his chest. His eyes widened in horror as he dropped down on the floor motionless. Larva looked at the direction of the staircase and saw Garline walking down it with his gun pointed at Gigi's body. Not moving his position, Larva watched in silence as Garline approached him._

  


_"He didn't hurt you did he," asked Garline._

  


_"No," Larva said bluntly. He frowned when he saw the hurt in Garline's eyes. "Wh..." Larva watched in horror when Garline's body jerked backward when a bullet pierced through his heart. Without wasting a second, Larva put a bullet through Gigi's head before rushing up to Garline as he lied there panting from his pain. "Why," Larva demanded as he looked at his friend. Garline smiled sadly and reached one of his hands to caress Larva's face._

  


_"I've always liked you Larva," Garline said softly. "No one looked as beautiful and as great as you did. I had wanted to stay by you always from the time when I first saw you." He leaned his head towards Larva's chest. "I'm glad you are alright." Closing his eyes with a smile, Garline's hand dropped limply at his side as he breathed his last breath. Larva closed his eyes in pain as he clutched his dear friend._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"He risked his life to save me even though we were fighting for different sides," said Larva. "I'll never forget that."

  


"He is rare," said Miyu. "And worthy to be your partner." Larva looked at her and gave her a sad smile. "It is almost time to go. The others are waiting for us." Larva nodded his head as they quickly hurried out of the forest. Before they reached their motorcycles, Miyu looked back at the forest. She bowed her head in respect before she drove away with Larva.

  


***In the forest***

  


Carlua watched as Larva and Miyu walked back to their motorcycle and drove off. She turned away from them and entered the forest. Tears threatened to fall down from her face as she thoughts went back to Larva's rejection. After walking for a few minutes, she finally collapsed down near one of the trees. Pulling up her legs to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her arms. She didn't know for how long she wept nor when she gradually fell asleep, but when she woke up, a man was standing right next to her. His handsome face looked down at her with an expression of great concern. It was quickly replaced with relief when he saw her stirring.

  


"Good," said the middle-aged man. "I found you lying over here and when I tried to wake you up, you were groaning. I thought you were sick or something. Are you alright, little lady?" Carlua wiped her eyes and stood up in embarrassment.

  


"I'm fine, sir," said Carlua. She stepped back with suspicion when she realized this strange man was in their private forest. "Who are you?"

  


"Oh me," answered the man with a laugh. "Don't be so scared, lady. I am just trying to find someone but I got lost on my way. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already."

  


Carlua relaxed a little bit but she still kept herself alert. "Who are you looking for?"

  


"Oh yeah, you might be able to help me." He reached into the pocket of his brown jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I'm looking for Larva West." He jumped backward when Carlua gasped. "Uhm...I guess that means you know him."

  


"I do indeed," Carlua said cautiously. "What do you want with him?" To her surprise, the man's jolly face suddenly became very serious.

  


"I came here to warn him. He..." He paused and looked at her with suspicion. "Wait a minute...who are you?"

  


"I am Carlua." He shocked her when he grabbed her hand and shook it heartily.

  


"So you are the girl that Larva was always talking about," said the man. Carlua looked at him in a daze as he beamed happily at her. "I've heard a lot about you."

  


"You did?" Carlua asked in wonderment.

  


"Yes. Larva had always mentioned things about you. He told me that he liked you."

  


"Liar!" The man jumped back from fright when she screamed out in anger. "You liar! Larva doesn't love me! He...he.." Tears streamed down her face. "He is in love with Miyu."

  


"Oh Miyu!" Carlua glared at the man when he snapped his finger. His face became serious as he looked at her. "That is what I have come to warn Larva about."

  


"Miyu?" She looked at the man in panic. "What is it about Miyu?"

  


"I bet you must have heard about the Panmatsu Devil or you can call them the Quarl." Carlua nodded her head. "Believe it or not, Miyu is actually working for them." He noticed the disbelief in Carlua's eyes. "You don't believe me don't you? Hmm...Alright, listen carefully. Ever since Larva had uprooted Cait Sith's underground operation, Cait Sith had always wanted to kill Larva for it. He intentionally positioned Miyu in the police department and told her to tell her supervisor that she wanted to be paired up with Larva. She was only there to make Larva trust in her so that he could fall into Cait Sith's trap. He wanted Larva to feel the same sense of betrayal that Larva had made him felt. All the stories that Miyu had told him and all of the things she had done were just under Cait Sith's order." He took out a tape recorder from his pocket and played it to Carlua. Carlua's eyes widened when she heard Miyu's voice.

  


_"Everything is going according to plan, Cait Sith," said the voice. "Larva is starting to trust me more than ever."_

  


_"Good," said Cait Sith. "How is your wound? Those idiots were not supposed to hurt you!"_

  


_"It's nothing," Miyu replied coldly. "They've paid for it."_

  


The man clicked off the tape recorder when he saw Carlua turning really pale. He almost cried out in surprise when she grabbed him tightly by the neck of the shirt. "I've got to warn him! He's going back to Japan with Miyu today!"

  


"Whoa...calm down," said the man as he tried to pry off Carlua's hands. "Calm down first." Carlua let go of him and took a deep breath. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I was hoping I would reach Larva in time to warn him but you just told me he is going back with her today. I don't really want to show myself in front of Miyu. Not when I know that she works for the Quarl." He snapped his finger. "Okay...the first thing we have to do is to follow them to Japan. That is the only thing we can do. Miyu has already gained Larva's trust so it will be hard to convince him that she is actually trying to harm him."

  


"I'll convince him," Carlua said with determination. "With the recording."

  


"That won't do," said the man. "Larva's trust in Miyu is so strong that he won't believe it. He will be in a more horrible case if he hears the tape recording and gives it to Miyu. She and Cait Sith may move their plan forward and get rid of Larva earlier." He frowned. "And you can't mention me either. Miyu will be able to easily make him distrust me by planting a bag of drug in my bag. She tried to capture me before but Larva let me go. However, although he let me go because I was his friend, he didn't trust me anymore. He won't believe in whatever I say so if you told him that I told you this, he won't believe it." He sighed. "Even if Larva don't believe me, I still don't want him to be in trouble. I was hoping to catch him alone and try to make him believe me, but I know he won't believe me."

  


"Then what can I do?"

  


"You'll just have to convince him yourself." He tapped Carlua softly on her shoulder. "But the first thing we have to do is to go to Japan." He took out two airplane tickets and gave one to her. "I was planning to give one to Larva if he believe me and is willing to leave Miyu, but...you can have it. Meet me at the airport at six." He turned to walk away but Carlua stopped him.

  


"What is your name?"

  


He smacked his head. "How can I be so forgetful? I am Gio." He shook her hand. "I will meet you later on, Carlua. Bye." Carlua watched him disappeared into the forest before she ran back to her house. Midway, she bumped into Lemunia.

  


"Who was that guy?" asked Lemunia. "I saw a guy walking out of the forest a while ago."

  


"What are you talking about?" Carlua replied in frustration. "I didn't see anyone in there." She run away from him and back into her room. After she had packed her belongings, she opened her window and looked outside. Noticing there was no one out there, she sneaked down from the window. Before anyone could notice her absence, she took a car and drove off.

  


***Airport***

  


"Hey, Larva." Larva turned around and quickly blocked the punch Spartoi had playfully threw at him. "Watch your back all the time. The Quarl is after you two."

  


Larva nodded his head and gave Spartoi a smile. He looked at Miyu as she held the crying Yui in her arms. She pushed Yui gently away when they heard the last announcement for their plane's boarding. Patting Nagi on his shoulder, Miyu turned to look at Larva. With one last pat from Lemures and a hug from Pazusu, Larva joined her as they left LA and headed back for Japan.

  


_*Night in Japan*_

  


"Finally," Miyu thought silently as the cab pulled up to the front gate of her house. She tiredly opened the door and went to the trunk. Larva looked at her as she picked up her heavy luggage and slammed the trunk back in position. With a nod of her head, she waved a small goodbye to Larva before she walked back to her house. Larva watched her stopped by her mailbox before he turned to the cabdriver and told him to proceed. When they reached crossing at the end of the street, Larva leaned back on his seat while they waited for the light to change. His weariness was quickly forgotten when a loud explosion erupted through the silent night. Larva looked back and to his horror, fire was bursting from Miyu's house.

  


"Stop the car," Larva demanded when the panicking cab driver tried to drive away. He took out his badge and flashed to the cab driver. "I said stop the car!" The cab driver stopped his car in utter terror. Larva jumped out the car and dashed towards Miyu's house. By the time he reached there, a few people were already standing around there. He pushed them away and flashed them his badge when they tried to stop him. "Miyu!" To his horror, he found her lying a few feet away from the front door. He ran up to her and picked her up gently. She was unconscious but to his relief she didn't seem to have suffered any kind of severe injury. He turned to look at the crowd as they stood there gapping at the huge bonfire. "Call the damned police!" Larva growled at them. One person took out a cell phone and started to call for help. Larva looked back down at Miyu and to his surprise, he found her holding on tightly to a piece of paper. He took that hand and tried to pry the paper away from her grasp. When he finally managed to do it, he lifted the paper and looked at the letters printed on it. His eyes narrowed and he frowned when he saw the words. Crushing the paper in his hand, he looked at Miyu. "Quarl."

  


***Hospital***

  


"How is she doing," asked Ranka. Ichiro, Aoi and her had quickly arrived at the hospital when they heard the news.

  


"She's fine," Larva simply answered. "The doctor is still checking her." He looked at them. "What evidence did you gather from Miyu's house?"

  


"It wasn't aimed to kill her," Aoi said. "The bomb was under a remote control. Who ever triggered the bomb must be watching Miyu at that time." Larva nodded his head. He handed over the letter that Miyu was holding on to. Ranka, Aoi, and Ichiro looked at it and nodded their head. "A welcoming gift," read Aoi. "From the Quarl."

  


"This is the first time they actually use that name," said Ichiro.

  


"What happen," asked Larva.

  


"The Quarl started to operate again during the time you were gone." Ichiro socked his hand in his other hand in frustration. "They came back so fast that our department went into complete chaos. Ranka, Aoi, and I have been trying to break their operations but so far, we aren't making any big advances. We managed to capture some of the smaller fishes but the big tuna is still wagging his caudal fin right at our faces."

  


"Ichiro is right," said Ranka. "No comment for his fish analogy though."

  


"You can see her now," said the doctor while stepping out the cell door. A nurse walked out of the room right after him. She smiled shyly at Larva as he stood there with Ranka, Aoi, and Ichiro.

  


"How is she," Larva asked the doctor, ignoring the nurse.

  


"She is fine," said the doctor. "There is no major injury. She only has some scratches and some minor cuts. She is sleeping right now."

  


"How long will she have to stay in the hospital?" asked Ranka.

  


"She needs to stay for at least three days for observation. I need to do a full physical checkup on her before she could leave." He flipped through the papers on the clipboard and frowned when he saw the nurse looking at Larva. Clearing his throat, he pushed his glasses higher. "Visiting time will be over within fifteen minutes. Let her rest." He turned to walk away. "Nurse! I need you to help me look at some of my other patients." He walked away with the nurse following quickly behind him. She looked back at Larva and smiled shyly.

  


"I guess someone has gained yet another admirer," Ichiro said with a smirk. Larva ignored him and walked into Miyu's room. He walked slowly towards her bed and sat down on a chair right next to it. One bandage cover one of her cheeks and another was wrapped around her forehead. She was even paler than before, and her soft long hair spread out on the pillow. He took one of her hands and smiled when he heard her breathing evenly.

  


"Have you called her family yet," Aoi whispered.

  


"Yeah," Larva answered, looking at Miyu. "They are coming over here within the next two days." He tugged the blanket around her to cover her whole body more tightly.

  


"So it has started," said Ranka. She looked at Miyu's peaceful sleeping features. "We got a lead from Cain. He said that the Quarl would be loading some of their products at a port in Yokohama." She frowned. "I believe it is an open challenge to us because they picked the most busy port to transport their goods and they are also doing it in broad daylight."

  


"I'm not going to go with you," said Larva. "I would like to looked at the damage at Miyu's house."

  


"You'd also have to find a place for her to live," said Ichiro.

  


"She will live with me," said Larva calmly. Aoi, Ranka, and Ichiro raised their eyebrows with surprise but they didn't say anything.

  


"Alright," said Aoi. "In that case, Ichiro, Ranka, and I will lead the raid tomorrow. We'll see you tomorrow night to tell you and Miyu about the raid." He headed for the door with Ranka and Ichiro. Before he left, he turned around and took out a photo from his long coat. "Hey Larva." He placed the photo in Larva's hand. "Ever heard of Gio?"

  


"Yeah," Larva replied harshly, while handing the photo back at Aoi. "He is one of Cait Sith most trusted side kick." He looked at Aoi with a serious face. "Watch out for him."

  


"I will," said Aoi. He put the photo back in his coat. "You just watch your own." Larva watched Aoi left the room before he turned back to Miyu. Touching her forehead softly, he stood up from his chair and walked out of the room.

  


***Tomorrow***

  


"I'm sorry Ranka," Ichiro apologized for the third time. "I didn't know those milk was spoiled. If I have known, I wouldn't have given them to Aoi." He looked at Ranka and found her frowning slightly. Although she looked like she was calm, Ichiro knew her long enough to be sure she was still furious with him. "I'm sorry..."

  


"What is done is done," said Ranka as she sped through the traffic. "We can't change that." Her frown deepened when she saw the other police car lagging far behind her. "I just don't like it when Aoi is not here," Ranka thought. She felt her anger flaring up again as she remembered the way Aoi looked when she stepped into his office. He was clutching his stomach in pain and complaining that Ichiro was trying to poison him with the awful milk. "I just hate the fact that we lost one valuable team member for this mission." She ignored the fact that Ichiro was clutching to the side of the car door for dear life as she continued to swerve pass some cars. Her cell phone rang just when she cut off another car in her right lane. "Hello," Ranka said, after picking up her cell phone.

  


"Don't come over here, Ranka," came Cain's urgent voice from the other end. Ranka quickly stopped her car, causing other cars to swerve passed her and blared their horns vigorously at her.

  


"Ranka, what do you thi..."

  


"Shut up Ichiro!" Ranka snapped while trying to listen to Cain. She looked out at her squad and found them stopping their cars by the side of the road. She quickly pressed the emergency light before she turned her focus on Cain. "What did you say, Cain?"

  


"Someone in your department told them about your plan," Cain said in a hurried tone. "So instead of the trade, they are planning to ambush you guys once you get here."

  


"What?! Impossible!" Ranka sat up in alarm when Cain tried to hush her down. "Where are you, Cain?"

  


"I'm hiding near the harbor now." Ranka heard him paused and some footsteps passing by his area. "I can't talk now, Ranka," Cain whispered. "I just want to warn you not to come...AGH!!!"

  


Ranka jerked backwards away from the phone when she heard a loud gunshot coming from Cain's end. Her face turned pale when she heard Cain's scream. "Cain! Cain?! Speak to me!"

  


"Cain isn't here," said a strange voice. He laughed happily and a few more gunshots could be heard. "We are making sure he is taking a really good nap right now."

  


"Bastard!" Ranka threw her cell phone angrily out her window. A car ran over it as she banged her hands on her steering wheel in frustration.

  


"What happen," asked Ichiro when he saw the tears streaming down Ranka's face.

  


"They got Cain," Ranka answered solemnly. Ichiro fell back on his chair and shook his head.

  


***That night***

  


Miyu looked down at her hands and frowned. She looked up when Larva placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "I'm fine Larva," said Miyu. Ranka and Ichiro stood at the back wall as they solemnly thought about Cain. "What happen to his body?"

  


"We don't know," said Ranka. She walked up to the bed that stood next to Miyu. Aoi was lying on it fast asleep. After purging his stomach from the poisonous food, he lost his conscious from exhaustion and had been sleeping since then. "When we finally reached there, we couldn't find any trace of him." Miyu nodded her head.

  


"Even at the last moment, he didn't fail me," Miyu said quietly. Her eyes flashed with anger and determination when she looked up. "But we can't dwell on his death anymore. I won't forget Cain's sacrifice but we don't have time to waste on mourning. Not when the Quarl is still on the loose and especially with what Cain had told us before he die."

  


"We have a traitor in our department," Larva stated. "Who knew about your operation?"

  


"Basically everyone in our department," Ichiro grumbled. "We didn't think it was necessary to hide our plan."

  


"Then we can't pursue that road," said Miyu. She turned to look up at Larva. "Did you find anything?"

  


"No," Larva answered flatly. He took out a pin and tossed it on the table. "I could only find this object. It won't be enough to incriminate them."

  


"What about the letter," asked Ichiro. Miyu shook her head.

  


"Look at the pin Ichiro." Ichiro picked it up and growled when he notice it was embedded with the Quarl symbol. "That pin came with the letter. The welcoming gift could be indicating the pin instead of the bomb. If we try to arrest them with only the letter to guide us, they could always use the pin as an excuse."

  


"Damn! Is there anything that we could do?!"

  


"There is one thing we can do," said Ranka. "From now on, if we received any information about their operations, we have to keep it between us instead of spreading the news. The only person we could tell is Van because we need him to give us the people we need to make the arrest."

  


"That's not all," said Larva. "We can't trust any information that are given to us by any people in our department because they might be sending us into a trap. We could only trust our source."

  


Ranka nodded her head. "I just hope we won't make the same mistake we made today." She bowed her head sadly. "We can't afford to lose another member of our team."

  


***The next day***

  


"It's going to rain," thought Larva as he looked up at the gloomy sky. His attention quickly shifted back on the road when the traffic light changed its color. As he drove down the road, his cell phone rang. "Hello?"

  


"Larva, it is me. I'm here in Japan."

  


His eyes widened when he recognized the voice. "Carlua?"

  


"Yes," Carlua said quietly.

  


"What are you doing here?"

  


"It doesn't matter, Larva. I want to see you. Can you meet me at Okiyama Cliff? It is between Meguro and Chofu city."

  


"I don't have time to play with you Carlua," Larva replied coldly. "Go back home!"

  


"If you don't come, you will regret it Larva," Carlua said quietly. "If you don't come, I will jump off the cliff. You know I am capable of doing it. Are you going to gamble with my life?"

  


"Carlua!" Larva gripped his phone in his hand in frustration when Carlua hanged up on him. Car blared their horns and squeaking noise from their brake could be heard when Larva suddenly make a sharp U-turn in the middle of the road and cut off some cars. Ignoring the angry voices that were shouting right after him, he quickly called Ichiro. Ichiro was sleeping peacefully when his cell phone rang. Waking up slowly, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and picked up his phone.

  


"Hello?" He was quickly snapped out from his sleepy state when Larva's voice growled in his ear.

  


"Ichiro, go to the hospital and tell Miyu that I have something to do," Larva commanded. "Also, help me pick up Nagi and Yui from the airport today. Their plane should be here at 10:00. They will be arriving at the United Airline terminal."

  


"What the heck!" screamed Ichiro when he looked at the watch. "But that means I only have half an hour to get ready!"

  


"Then I guess that means you better start moving."

  


"Wait," said Ichiro before Larva could hang up. "Where are you going?" He frowned when he heard a click from Larva's line. He yawned and plopped down on his bed. However, he quickly sat up when he realized what he had to do. Hurrying to his closet he started to rumble through his dirty clothes with panic. "Why do I always get stuck with these kind of job?!!!"

  


***10:00...in the airport***

  


"Made it," panted Ichiro as he stood there looking at the terminal. He slapped his hand on his forehead when he realized he didn't know how Yui and Nagi looked like. "Great! This is like looking for a needle in a haystack." He looked around him and saw a store. Jamming in there as fast as he could, he quickly picked up a plastic board and some markers. Tossing the right amount on the counter, he ran out there and wrote Nagi and Yui's name. Raising the sign as high as he could, he tried to look for them. For thirty minutes he stood there and yet nobody came. The crowds have almost dispersed but still, there was no sign of them. Putting his aching arms down, he continued to scan the remaining people. "I guess they didn't..." His eyes rested on five people. Among that group stood a girl that looked quite like Miyu. "Maybe that is her." He started to run excitedly toward them. "Hey," Ichiro shouted. Nagi and Yui looked at him when they saw him running towards their direction. "Are you Yui?!" He saw Yui smiled at him but before he could reach her, a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of Yui and frowned at Ichiro.

  


"What do you want with her?" asked Nagi as he looked at Ichiro. Ichiro tried to peak pass him but Nagi managed to always step in front of his way. He finally looked at Nagi as he stood there in front of Yui.

  


"You must be Nagi," said Ichiro. He took out his badge and shown it to them. "I was sent by Larva to escort you to Miyu."

  


Before Nagi knew it, Yui pushed him aside and hurried up to Ichiro. "How is Miyu?"

  


"She's fine. She only has some minor cuts, that's all."

  


"Then what happened to Larva? Where is he?" Ichiro looked at the man with the short blond hair.

  


"And who might you be," Ichiro asked nonchalantly.

  


"I am Larva's friend. My name is Lemures." He turned to his other two companions. "This is Spartoi and the other one is my brother Lemunia." He reached into his pocket and took out a paper. "Spartoi and I are assigned here by our supervisor to help Larva." Ichiro took it and looked over the paper work. "Lemunia is just here to look for Carlua. She is Larva's cousin but she disappeared right after Larva and Miyu went away. We were able to track her down to Tokyo but that is all we know." Ichiro nodded and gave it back to Lemures.

  


"I guess that is where Larva went," said Ichiro. "He called me this morning to tell me that he had something to do. He didn't tell me why but obviously, he must had found Carlua."

  


"Is she alright," asked Lemunia anxiously.

  


"I don't know." shrugged Ichiro. Lemures patted his brother softly on the shoulder to calm him down. "Come on," said Ichiro as he headed for the doorway. "Don't you want to see Miyu?" They all nodded their heads and followed him.

  


***Okiyama Cliff***

  


The sky was filled with dark cloud as they pour their tears onto the country. Larva took off his helmet when the rain started to obscure his vision. His light blue hair ruffled against the wind as he drove steadily up the winding road, which was located on the edge of the mountain. He finally stopped his motorcycle when he saw Carlua standing at the cliff with an umbrella. She had her back turned to him while she stared at Tokyo bay. "Carlua!" She turned around and smiled happily when she saw Larva sitting on his motorcycle. His hair was drenched with rain and his face was unemotional as he watched her running up to him.

  


"Larva," cried out Carlua. When she reached him, Larva raised up one of his hand to prevent her from throwing her arms around him. "I'm glad you came."

  


"What do you want?" Larva asked bluntly. Carlua ignored the coldness in his voice.

  


"You are wet, Larva." She smiled at his frowning face and pointed into the woods. "There is a little hut that is located a few minutes away from here. Why don't we go there?" Before Larva could stop her, she broke into a run and entered a forest. Leaving his motorcycle behind, Larva ran right after her. After three minutes of running blindly through the forest and heavy rain, he finally found her standing at the doorway to the hut. She smiled when she saw him and went into the hut. "Come on Larva. I've already made a fire to dry you off." Larva walked in there and closed the door.

  


"What do you want," Larva repeated himself.

  


"Come and sit down." Carlua pulled on his arm and headed for the chair. She reached for his coat. "Let me take this off for you."

  


Larva yanked his coat away from her grasp and turned away from her. "If you have nothing to tell me, then I am leaving."

  


"Wait," Carlua cried out when Larva reached for the door. She pulled on his arm desperately and looked at him pleadingly. "You can't go back Larva."

  


"Why not," he demanded.

  


"Because...because." Carlua threw her arms around him and held him tightly. "Because you just can't. I can't let you go back to Miyu. You will be in danger."

  


"I know," said Larva. "But I am willing to risk it. The Quarl is not only her issue, but mine as well." He pulled Carlua gently away from him.

  


"I won't let you go back Larva," cried Carlua. Larva shook his head and opened the door.

  


"Go back home, Carlua." With that said, he left her crying. He didn't notice that Gio had stalk into the room right after he had left.

  


"Don't cry Carlua," said Gio.

  


"I wanted to tell him about the evidence but he wouldn't believe me," Carlua sobbed. Gio patted her on the shoulder. Without her noticing, he looked out at the door and smiled evilly.

  


Larva pushed his damped hair away from his face when he tried to figure his way back to the cliff. Once he reached there, he found his motorcycle at the same place he left it. Taking his key out of his pocket, he jammed it in the keyhole and drove off. The rain continued to pour down relentlessly as he passed Carlua's hut. With one last glance at it, he continued to drive on the road, which would lead him back down the mountain. "I'm going too fast," thought Larva when he reached a turn. He pressed on his brake but to his surprise, it didn't work. "Someone must have drained my brake oil!" The curve rushed toward him as his motorcycle continued to gain speed. He swerved his motorcycle to the right in an attempt to slow it down. Unfortunately, the slippery road caused his motorcycle to skid into a spin. Larva jumped off his motorcycle and fell down hard on his side. His body rolled rapidly downs the road and before he could stop himself, his head hit a rock hard at the roadside. His motorcycle skidded across the road and hit the rail on the edge of the road before it plunged down to Tokyo Bay. With blood seeping down his hair, Larva felt himself losing his conscious. The world spun around him as he tried to raise his body up. Falling back on the ground, Larva closed his eyes when darkness consumed him. "Miyu..."

  


Carlua and Gio were in the hut when they heard the loud crash. "Larva," cried out Carlua. Before Gio could stop her, she rushed out from the hut and ran towards the place where the sound had came from. It didn't take her long to reach the accident site. Terror seized her heart when she saw Larva's unconscious body lying at the side of the road. When Gio reached her, he found her lifting up Larva slowly.

  


"Hurry," said Gio as he helped her pick up Larva. "Let's get him inside." He took Larva and smiled. "With him, we will have an upper hand over Miyu," he thought to himself. He stole a look at Carlua and grinned when he saw her worried face. "Who would have ever thought that this girl can be so gullible." When they reached the hut, he quickly placed Larva on the bed. He stepped backwards when Carlua tended to Larva's wound. Reaching for his own breast pocket, he could feel his gun in there. "Hold on Gio." He mentally reminded himself as he slipped his hand away from the gun. "I could use her if Larva tries to rebel against me. Also, her foster father is quite a wealthy man in LA. Her life can worth something."

  


"Gio." Gio snapped out from his thoughts when Carlua called him. "We need to bring him to a hospital."

  


"We can't," said Gio. "There is no nearby facility over here. And besides, it is dangerous to drive in this kind of weather."

  


"I don't care," screamed Carlua. "Larva needs help right away!"

  


"Calm down, Carlua." Gio placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just calm down. I have another hut that is located one hour away from here. I usually spent my time over here when I am hunting in this forest. I have a good first aid kit over there. We just have to bring Larva over there." He hoisted Larva over his shoulder. "Help me place that plastic bag over him so we could protect him from the rain. I don't want him to catch pneumonia." Carlua threw the plastic bag over Larva before they headed out into the forest. Gio and her practically ran the whole way as they tried to reach his hut as soon as possible. The rain poured on them relentlessly as they ran through the forest. They have to stop a few times to look for their directions before they could proceed through the blinding rain. Panting from exhaustion, they managed to reach there in an hour and a half. Gio placed Larva onto one of the beds that were in his room and let Carlua attend to the wound. He quickly lit up a fire and took off Larva's wet clothes. For the next two hours, they tried to dry themselves up. Larva was still unconscious when Gio started to cook their dinner. Carlua continued to look at Larva and was forced to eat when Gio placed the food in front of her face. She had barely bitten into her food when Larva gave out a soft groan. Placing her food back onto the table, she rushed up to Larva and looked at him anxiously. Gio stepped backward to hide behind the shadow.

  


"Larva," called out Carlua in a soft voice. Her heart jumped with joy when his eyelids fluttered open to reveal his beautiful red eyes. They were filled with confusion when he looked at Carlua. "Are you alright?"

  


"Where…" Larva coughed and cleared his throat when his voice cracked. Carlua grabbed a glass of water and he sipped from it. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her with suspicion. "Where am I?"

  


"You are in a hut, Larva," answered Carlua. "You had...."

  


"Larva?" Carlua froze when Larva said his name in confusion. "Is that my name?" He frowned and grabbed his head in pain. He squinted his eyes and looked at Carlua. "Who are you?"

  


"I'm...I'm...Carlua," stuttered Carlua. She grabbed his hand desperately. "Don't you remember me, Larva?" Her heart almost broke when he shook his head. "Larva..."

  


"Hold on, Carlua," said Gio, while putting his hand on her shoulder. "Let him rest. He had a rough day today."

  


"Who are you," Larva asked weakly.

  


"Whoa, lay down, Larva," said Gio, while gently laying Larva down on his bed. "Don't worry about these minor detail right now. What you need is rest." Larva nodded his head and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. By that time, Carlua was already pacing around the room desperately. "Carlua, calm down."

  


"Calm down!" she hissed. "He has lost his memory! How can I ever calm down." She placed her face in her hand. "He even forgot about me."

  


"Isn't that a good point," said Gio. She glared at him with daggers shooting out her eyes. "Wait, before you kill me for what I said, just listen to me." He sat down next to Carlua. "Look, Larva has forgotten you, but that would also mean that he has forgotten Miyu too." He smiled when he saw her face lit up. "All you have to do right now is to stay close to Larva and use this valuable chance to win him over. Then, even if Miyu comes to find him over here, she won't be able to manipulate him anymore."

  


Carlua nodded her head. "You're right, but..." She looked at Larva sadly. "Won't I be lying to him?"

  


"It is better to lie to him than to have him under Miyu's control." Carlua nodded again and threw her arms around him.

  


"Thank you for everything, Gio." She gave him a quick hug. "Do you mind if Larva and I stay here for the moment?"

  


"I don't mind at all." Gio gave her a small smile before she turned her attention back to Larva. With her back towards him, he smiled shrewdly to himself. "This is even better than I thought," he thought to himself. "Now that Larva lost his memory, I can turn him against Miyu. All I have to do is to manipulate him just as I did with Carlua. Cait Sith is going to love this."

  


***Four Days Later***

  


Larva looked over the cliff as he stood there silently. For these past few days, Carlua had taken care of him and watched over him for every single second. Gio had also helped him and told him something about his past and his friendship with him. "However," Larva thought to himself. "Why did Carlua always seem sad when Gio started to tell me about my past." He knew that he was born from a wealthy family and that Carlua was his cousin and future fiancé. They also told him that he lived in LA and he met Gio when he attended university there. "Something is wrong," Larva said softly. This thought startled him. He didn't know why but his instinct told him something was very wrong with the current situation. He looked at the cliff and before he knew it, a dizzy spell hit him in full force. He clutched his head painfully as images of a girl with long brown hair and sad golden-brown eyes flashed through his mind. "Miyu!" He felled down on his knees painfully. Slowly the pain subsided as he knelt there panting from his vision. "Who is that girl," thought Larva. Every time he closed his eyes or when he tried remembering something, he could always see her. He looked at the cliff and frowned. "Especially when I look at the cliff."

  


"Larva!" He turned around and saw Carlua walking toward him. She smiled at him and stood next to him. "I knew you would be here." She lifted Larva's coat from her arms and handed it to him. "Put it on. You may catch a cold." Larva looked at his coat and a wave of dizziness flashed quickly through him again. He could see himself wrapping the coat around the girl with brown hair. "Larva?" He finally shook off the pain and saw Carlua looking at him with concern.

  


"I'm alright," said Larva. He took his coat and put it on. Carlua smiled and put her arms round his. Somehow, he could not help feeling a little bit uncomfortable with this. However, he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to look at Carlua. "I want to ask you something."

  


"What is it Larva?"

  


"Who is Miyu?" Carlua jumped back with surprise when she saw Larva looking at her anxiously. "Do you know her? Is she the girl with long brown hair?"

  


"What do you remember?" Carlua asked cautiously. Her body trembled with anger when she heard Larva said Miyu's name.

  


Not noticing her reactions, Larva sighed. "I don't remember anything. I just saw images of her flashing through my mind. Can you tell me who she is?"

  


"She isn't anyone important," Carlua snapped. She turned to look at Larva pleadingly. "Please forget about her." Larva stared at her for a moment before he nodded his head. She sighed and leaned her head on his arm.

  


"Don't you have to go and get something for Gio from the store?" Carlua looked at her watch and sighed. She nodded her head and smiled at Larva.

  


"Yeah. I will be back very soon." She gave a quick hug to Larva. "Don't wander off by yourself." With a wave of her hand, she disappeared down the road. Larva looked at the road till she disappeared before he turned his attention back to the sea. His thoughts were disrupted when Gio tapped him on his shoulder.

  


"I over heard what you and Carlua were talking about," said Gio. "Do you really want to know who Miyu is?"

  


"Yes."

  


"Alright," Gio said with a sigh. "I promised Carlua that I would not mention this but since you want to know so much, it is best that I tell you the truth." He looked at Larva and smiled sadly. "Your father and Carlua's father were two of the best cops in LA. They were an unbeatable team. At that time, Miyu's father joined their team." He ran his hand though his hair. "I have to admit, her father was one of the best out there too. However..." His face became very serious. "He worked for the Quarl."

  


"The Quarl," Larva muttered. Somehow, that name rang a bell in his memory.

  


"Yes, the Quarl," Gio continued. "They are the most notorious drug ring in Japan and the US. Their main headquarter had been located in LA until Carlua and your father managed to uproot their whole operation. Your father was the one who killed their leader. Because of this, Miyu's father was sent to kill your family and Carlua." He looked at Larva carefully when he saw Larva frowning. "On one of your vacation, your family and Carlua's family all went on the same cruise to Catalina Island. Before the ship can reach its destination, it sank into the sea. Only you and Carlua came back alive. Police investigated the shipwreck and they were able to connect it to the Quarl. Obviously, it was Miyu's father that gave the order to sabotage the ship you were on. The worst thing was that there was no evidence to link it to him." Taking a deep breath, he continued with his story. "After that incident, the two of you were taken in by Pazusu. However, the Quarl wasn't done with you. They wanted to get rid of you and Carlua. Miyu's father died some time ago, but she is still following his footstep."

  


"Miyu," Larva muttered softly.

  


"Yep. She is a detective but she is also working for the Quarl. Her main mission is to eliminate you and Carlua. The motorcycle accident you had was not a simple accident. She intentionally cut your brake oil so that you would plunge to your death. If Carlua and I have not passed by, you would have been dead already."

  


"I can't believe this," whispered Larva. "I don't know why but I can't believe it."

  


"Why would I lie to you then?" Larva looked at him and could found no answer. "Carlua doesn't want to mention this because she is afraid that something else may happen to you if you know."

  


"Miyu..." Larva unconsciously touched his chest, and felt a little pain in there.

  


"Larva...I am telling you this for a specific reason." Larva looked at him and narrowed his eyes.

  


"Speak."

  


"If you care about Carlua's safety, you will have to get rid of Miyu." Larva's heart jumped but he didn't show any outward expression. "Do you want Carlua to live in fear? Miyu has the whole police department under her control. If you don't get rid of her, the next victim could be Carlua." He looked at Larva anxiously as Larva continued to stare at him with no expression.

  


"I will think about it," Larva answered at last. He stood up and walked back into the forest. Gio smiled.

  


"Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more."

  


***Police Department***

  


Miyu twirled her pencil between her fingers as she looked at the vacant seat beside her. Picking up the report on her desk, she scanned it over for the tenth time. "Nothing," she thought to herself. She tossed it back onto the table and closed her eyes. "Four whole days. Larva has disappeared for four whole days. We can't even contact him on his cell phone. Where can you be, Larva." Her hand tapped on the report. "I've asked everyone at the airport. It is obvious that the person Carlua was with is Gio." She banged her fist hard on the table, causing some of the people in the office to jump up with surprise. "I have to be prepare for anything. Larva is definitely with them. Whatever they are planning, they haven't contacted me yet. But I know for sure they will use Larva against me." Her thoughts were interrupted when the phone on her desk rang. She picked it up and listened.

  


"Miyu," said Spartoi. "You might want to come down to Yokosuka City's. A fisherman found Larva's motorcycle on the coast of Kita Shitaura Beach." Miyu hanged up the phone quickly and ran out of the department. She managed to reach there in a few hours by means of the subway. When she reached there, Lemures, Spartoi, and Nagi were waiting for her at the parking lot. Aoi, Ichiro, and Ranka were talking to the fisherman involved.

  


"Where was the exact location," asked Miyu. Lemures pointed at the location where they found Larva's vehicle. She glanced at it and looked out to Tokyo Bay. She nodded her head and turned to address Nagi. "And Larva?"

  


"No sign," Nagi answered. "He might be alive or..."

  


"Don't even go there," said Lemures.

  


"Ichiro," called out Miyu. Ichiro looked up at her quickly, tapped Aoi on his shoulder and gave him the notes before running up to Miyu.

  


"What is it?"

  


"I need you to help me look up the weather pattern and the currents in Tokyo Bay for the last five days," said Miyu. She looked at Larva's motorcycle and picked it up. "The exact same weight as mine."

  


"It's impossible," said Aoi when he figured out what Miyu was about to do.

  


"Nothing is impossible," said Miyu. Without another look, she turned away from them and headed back to the police department.

  


***Larva's House***

  


Yui tossed the magazine in her hand and looked at Lemunia. He caught her eyes and smiled at her. "I guess we are both restless."

  


"Yeah," said Lemunia. "How do you like living in Larva's house so far?"

  


"It isn't as comfortable as our old home," Yui admitted. "However, until the reconstruction is done, there is nothing we can do about it." She smiled at him. "How is it over at Aoi's place?" To her surprise, he rolled his eyes.

  


"Don't even mention it. Spartoi and Aoi are always sparing with each other. After Aoi defeated him one time in sword fighting, Spartoi never gave him any rest. It didn't help with my brother cheering them on." He sighed. "I hope Carlua is alright."

  


Yui smiled sweetly at him and patted him softly on his shoulder. "I am sure you will find her so..." Lemunia covered her mouth quickly when he heard a noise coming from upstairs.

  


"Come on," he whispered to Yui as they stood up from the couch, and hid her at the back of the stairs. He then grabbed a bat and hid himself near the foot of the stairs.

  


"Nobody seems to be at home," said a young voice.

  


"Stupid," scold the second voice. "Of course nobody is home. That is why we are robbing this joint." A pause could be heard. "I'm going to work upstairs. You take whatever you can find that is valuable downstairs okay?" Yui and Lemunia could hear the older man looking through their stuffs at the top floor. They took a step backward when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Lemunia step back further when the teenager reached to the end of the stair. Bringing his bat upward, Lemunia was about to hit him when the teenage boy turned and saw him. He quickly jumped sideways when Lemunia brought the bat downward. The boy was about to cry out but before he could, Yui hit him on the back of his head and knocked him unconscious. Lemunia looked at her with surprise.

  


"Let's tie him up first," said Yui softly. They pulled out a cord and wrapped it around his hand. Gagging him, they proceeded quietly up the stairs. Yui reached up the stairs first.

  


"Yui!" Lemunia pulled her backward when the older robber brought a chair down towards Yui's head. They ducked when the robber swung the chair sideways in an attempt to hit them. Yui slipped smoothly pass his defense and uppercut him, while Lemunia finished him off with a kick at his chest. The robber dropped the chair and fell down onto the floor unconscious.

  


When Miyu came home with her hands filled with reports, she was surprised to find Lemunia and Yui happily chatting together, while the robbers lay tied-up next to their feet. Dropping the papers onto a nearby table, she took the robbers back to the police station. When Nagi came home with Spartoi and Lemures, the two gave them an account of what happened, making them all to laugh heartily. "I guess your training paid off," said Lemures as he smiled at his brother proudly. Lemunia nodded his head and with a few more words, Lemures, Spartoi, and Lemunia left Larva's house. Miyu settled down on the table with the reports spread out before her.

  


"Do you need any help," asked Nagi as he and Yui crowded around her.

  


"I'm fine," Miyu replied. She drew a circle at the area where they found Larva's motorcycle. Nagi looked at Yui and both shrugged their shoulders. They knew that Miyu would want to figure this out by herself. Midnight came and still, she was hovering over the maps. By three o'clock, Miyu had circle two locations. "From the weight of the motorcycle and the currents that happened these past few days, Larva should have gone to either one of these area on the day he disappeared." She rubbed her neck tiredly and stretched herself. Looking at her careful calculations, Miyu closed her eyes and fell asleep as she prepared herself for tomorrow's search.

  


***Tommorrow late afternoon***

  


Stopping her motorcycle by the road, Miyu took out the map again and looked at it. She had spent most of the morning searching at a region near Chofu cities, and she wasn't able to come up with any news. Crossing out that as a possible area, she has been trying to reach Okiyama Cliff since then. Putting the map back into her bag, she started to drive up the cliff again. A mile away from her destination, she saw a little store. She parked her motorcycle over there and entered it. The store manager smiled at her when she walked in there. She nodded her head and went to grab a bottle of water. As she paid for it, she took out Larva's photo and showed it to the manager. Her heart gave a jump when the manager told her he recognized Larva.

  


"He came here a few days ago," said the store manager. "It was storming that day and I thought nobody was going to show up. He came in here to ask me about Okiyama Cliff. I told him to not go there during this bad weather but he didn't listen." Miyu frowned when she heard the news.

  


"Did you saw him coming back down from there?"

  


"Well, I won't know," said the man. "He didn't came in here after that." He looked at Miyu when she stood there contemplating about the situation. "Is he missing?"

  


"Is there any living quarter over here," asked Miyu, while ignoring his last question.

  


"Well, there is a little hut that is located at the top of the cliff. Otherwise, I don't know." Miyu nodded her head and thanked him. Jumping on her motorcycle she rushed upwards towards the cliff top. She stopped three fourth of the way when she saw the broken rail. "This must be the place where he lost his motorcycle." She looked around the ground but found nothing. The rain has washed away any bloodstain and there were no tire tracks. With a final look, she jumped on her motorcycle and headed straight for Okiyama Cliff.

  


Meanwhile, Larva and Carlua were taking a walk towards the cliff. Ever since Larva had mention Miyu's name, Carlua had been constantly sticking close to him. At first, Larva thought she was afraid that he would be in danger. However, he soon realized that this was not the case. Her constant questionings about his memory quickly made him realize that she didn't want him to remember Miyu. "Why is that," Larva wondered. He looked at the young lady that was walking beside him. "Even if I do remember what Miyu did to my family, it wouldn't make a difference. She could still kill us if she wanted to. It is illogical, unless..." With his thoughts left unfinished, he turned to look at Carlua. "Carlua," he called her name softly. She jumped from the sudden noise and smiled at him.

  


"What is it Larva?"

  


"The main reason why you don't want me to remember Miyu is because you are scared that I may do something irrational, am I correct?" Carlua looked at him with surprise. "Was I about to kill her?"

  


"What?" Carlua looked at Larva in shock. "Where did this come from?"

  


"You don't have to lie," said Larva. "Gio told me everything." He saw her face flushed. "It's alright, Carlua. I understand. However, what I don't understand is why you don't want me to remember Miyu? If she really do want to kill us, then whether I remember her or not will make no difference."

  


"But...but," Carlua stuttered.

  


"Is it because you are scared that I am going to kill her?" Larva frowned when she didn't say anything. "You don't have to worry about that, Carlua. Even though her father killed our parents..." He paused when Carlua gasped. "What is it?"

  


"Where did you hear that from," Carlua said almost calmly, while trying to control her raging emotions.

  


"Gio told me," Larva simply answered. He saw her turned really paled.

  


"What else did he told you?" Larva noticed that something was wrong from the way Carlua was acting. Although she was trying to conceal it, he could still see the terror in her eyes. Watching her closely, Larva answered her.

  


"He told me to kill Miyu so that you and I will be safe." Carlua nodded her head slowly and turned away from him.

  


"Larva," said Carlua in a shaky voice. "I have something to do right now. Why don't you take the rest of the walk yourself." She turned around and gave him a painful smile. "Don't follow me." With that said, she ran away from him. Larva looked at her disappearing figure. When he was sure that there was enough distance between them for her to not notice his presence, he made a move to follow her. However, before he could start to pursue her, his attention was drawn to the sound of a motorcycle speeding towards the cliff. He hid behind the trees and to his surprise, he saw Miyu riding on the vehicle. His eyes rested on her face and the ribbon that tied her hair. A sudden urge to see her rushed through him as he watched her stopped her motorcycle. Fighting his urge down, he stayed at his position and watched her.

  


Looking at the cliff, Miyu got off her motorcycle and pulled her jacket tighter around her. "So this is the place." She looked around the ground. "From the police report, it said the cause of Larva's accident was due to a sabotage on his brake. His brake oil was drained and because of it, he wasn't able to stop the motorcycle." She finally spotted the area she had been looking for. Crouching down, she looked at the little patch of oil that was still there. The rain had managed to wash off some of the oil and a lot of them had been absorbed by the soil. Taking out a test tube, she inserted some of the soil and sealed the sample. She looked around and started to proceed towards the hut the store manager was talking about. He followed her quietly as she walked into the hut. He sneaked near a window and looked inside. She was scanning the area around her. Her eyes widen when she noticed something at the corner.

  


"Larva's cell phone," whispered Miyu as she rushed to the object. She picked it up and was not surprised to find it out of battery and cover with some dusts. "He was here a few days ago." Her face became slightly pale when she found some bloody tissue and dry blood coated on the bed. She walked up to it and looked at it with sadness. Larva watched her expression as she stared at the bed. A flash of sorrow and horror flashed through her face.

  


"Mi..." Larva stopped himself before he could call out for her. He watched her as she took out a plastic bag and picked up the bloody tissue. Not wanting to see this anymore, Larva silently sneaked away. When he was sure he was in a safe distance, he ran back to Gio's hut as fast as he can.

  


Miyu looked around her and saw blood on the floor and on the table. Trembled with anger and in frustration, she slammed her fists on the table. "Larva, where are you," she cried.

  


***Gio Hut***

  


After running for more than an hour, Carlua finally reached back to Gio's hut. Gio looked up when he saw her bursting into the door. "What is the matter," asked Gio when he saw the anger in Carlua's face.

  


"Why," screamed Carlua. "Why did you lie to Larva?"

  


"Huh?" Gio smiled slyly at her. "What do you mean?"

  


"You...you told Larva that Miyu's father was the one that killed our parents! You know it wasn't true! Why did you lie about such a thing?"

  


"What difference does it make?" Gio shrugged his shoulder. "Don't you want Larva to hate Miyu?"

  


"I...I just want him to keep away from Miyu! I didn't want him to kill her! Why did you tell Larva to kill her?!"

  


"I was thinking of your safety," said Gio. "You know that Miyu is working with the Quarl. If he don't kill her, she will kill him."

  


"It isn't right," Carlua murmured. "It isn't right. Larva is thinking to kill her, but the Larva that I know will leave it to the law." She shook her head. "I can't let him do it. If he killed her, even if she is our enemy, he would still become a murderer. I have to tell him the truth. I..." She froze when Gio laughed out loud and took out his gun.

  


"If you think that I am going to let you ruin my plan just because you are starting to have some conscious, you are more naive that I thought."

  


"You...you were using me," Carlua asked in astonishment.

  


"Bingo! Congratulations." said Gio. "You surely are dumb to figure it out so late."

  


"Why?!"

  


"What else," said Gio. "I want Larva to kill Miyu." He clicked his gun in place. "And I guess with your death, he will be more than willing to kill her to avenge you." His eyes widened in shock when Carlua leapt at him suddenly. The shot went stray and hit her on her left arm. Ignoring her pain, she grabbed the gun from Gio's hand and they fell down on the floor wrestling each other for the gun. Digging her nails in his hand, Gio let go of his gun in pain. She stood up from him with the gun in her hand, but she quickly fell back downward as he swept kicked her and knocked her off her feet. He scrambled toward her to grab the gun away from her. To his fustration, she managed to throw the gun out of the window. "You witch!" Gio stumbled backward when she kicked him on the chest. She reached for the door desperately but before she could open it, he grabbed her long blond hair and pulled her back. Howling in pain, she clutched her head and try to free her hair from his grip. Turning her to face him, Gio slapped her and punched her on the stomach. She clutched her stomach in agony and dropped down on the floor. "I'm not done with you yet!" He picked her up and slapped her hard across the face. He was about to kick her when she threw her weight at him and slammed him against the wall. His vision began to swirl when his head hit hard on the wall. However, this also increased his anger. Carlua cried out in pain when he slammed his fists on her back. He then kicked her, causing her to roll across the room. Carlua backed away from him as he stumbled towards her. Blood dripped down from her mouth as she tried to rise up. She pushed herself up grasping the bedpost but before she could stand up fully, Gio slammed her hard on the back. She turned around to find his hands gripped her throat. "Die!" Carlua gasped desperately as she looked around her.

  


"Larva," thought Carlua as she felt herself losing her conscious. "I can't let him kill Miyu and make a mistake." A new wave of energy burst through her. From the corner of her eyes she saw a vase on the shelf near the bed. With the rest of her strength, she reached out for it while struggling to keep herself conscious. She managed to grab it and slammed it over Gio's head as hard as she could. Gio loosen his grip on her and felled down onto the floor. The vase dropped from her hand and was shattered when it hit the floor. Her hand fell down limply to her side as darkness consumed her.

  


When Larva came back to the hut, he was surprised to find the whole room in chaos. "Carlua!" He quickly rushed towards Carlua and found her unconscious. To his relief, she was still breathing. He then went to Gio and lifted him up. The damage to his head was not severe because the vase didn't break when it hit him. However, the crash was strong enough to cause some bleeding. Larva grabbed a bandage and wrapped it around Gio's head. He placed Gio on one of the beds and turned to Carlua. After bandaging up her bleeding arm, he started to tend to her other wounds when Gio groaned out loud. "Gio," said Larva as he approached him. "What happened?"

  


"Larva?" Gio grabbed Larva's coat in great panic. "It was Miyu! She was here half an hour ago. Carlua and I tried to stop her but she was too good of a fighter. She was looking for you." Larva frowned and nodded his head. "How is Carlua?"

  


"She's fine," Larva said coolly. He laid Gio down on the bed. "Stay here while I look around and see whether Miyu is still around." Gio nodded his head and smiled when he saw Larva walking out the door. He looked at Carlua and frowned.

  


"I can't have her living." He tried to stand up but dizziness overwhelmed him. "I have..." He accidentally brushed a glass of water onto the floor as he tried to gain more orientation. Larva burst into the room at the noise and found him sitting on his bed.

  


"I told you to lie down," said Larva. He helped Gio back on the bed.

  


"Can you find Miyu?" Larva shook his head. He looked at Carlua and back at Gio.

  


"I can't let this happen again," said Larva. "I will have to settle this with Miyu once and for all." He pushed Gio down on his bed. "I will go to the city tomorrow and watch her. While I am gone, the two of you should rest up." Gio nodded his head and closed his eyes. He smiled inward.

  


"With him gone, I could get rid of Carlua and tell him that Miyu had sent someone else to get rid of us." He opened one eye and saw Larva tending Carlua. "Don't wake up now, Carlua."

  


***The Next Morning***

  


"Where could they have gone to?" Gio looked around the room but he could not find Larva and Carlua anywhere. "Could he..." He looked up when Larva appeared in at the doorway. His hand automatically reached for the gun that is in his pocket. He managed to grab it back when he found Larva and Carlua missing this morning. "Where have you been?"

  


"I went and hid Carlua at somewhere safe," Larva answered simply. "Now that Miyu knows this place, we can't have her here." Gio nodded his head, but his hand still rested on his gun.

  


"Had she woken up yet," said Gio.

  


"No," Larva said grimly. "She has not woken up, yet." He poured himself a glass of water and drank it. "I'm going right now, Gio. Go and hide somewhere for the moment. I will meet you here at 7:00 tonight." Gio nodded his head. When Larva was gone, he kicked the chair in frustration.

  


"Damn him," said Gio. "With Carlua gone, my plan is going to have a flaw." He took out his cell phone and called his follower. After instructing them for a while, he ended the call in frustration. "None of them knew where he put her." He paced around the room for a few minutes when he phone rang. "What is it," he snapped.

  


"Gio, we lost Miyu and Larva."

  


"What?"

  


"We lost track of them," said the other voice on the phone. "They both gave us the slip." Gio cursed and hit the table hard. Before he could vent his frustration further, his phone rang again.

  


"What now," he screamed in his phone.

  


"What is the matter, Gio?" Gio recognized Larva's voice from the other side of the phone. He took a deep breath to keep himself calm, before he answered Larva.

  


"I'm sorry, Larva. I just discovered that my stocks are dropping. What is it Larva?"

  


"I was being followed," said Larva. "I've managed to shake them off. That Miyu is surely resourceful."

  


"Where are you now," Gio asked anxiously.

  


"I am following her right now," said Larva. "I need to go now. I will call you once I get back." Gio was about to hang up when Larva called out to him again. "Help me buy a gun. Bye." Gio said goodbye. With a smile, he hanged up his phone. Although he would like to know where Larva went, he couldn't help rejoicing himself at the turn of event.

  


At 7:00pm sharp, Larva returned back to the hut. "How was it," asked Gio eagerly.

  


"Have you got the gun?" Gio nodded his head. He gave Larva the gun. Larva looked at it and nodded his head. "I've already sent an invitation to Miyu, telling her to meet me tomorrow at Okiyama Cliff. She should be there by noon."

  


"You are going to kill her?" asked Gio, while pretending to be shocked.

  


Larva nodded his head. "After what have happened to Carlua, I know what I have to do." He placed the gun under his pillow and lay down on his bed. "We should get some sleep before tomorrow."

  


***Next Day...Police Department***

  


"Argh...I want to sleep," said Ichiro. "I can't wait to go home."

  


"Come on Ichiro," said Ranka with a smile. "We just successfully captured all of the criminals and raided their trade. You should be happy."

  


"Yeah, but don't forget that Gio wasn't there," Aoi said. "We got all of the small fishes but he is still out there."

  


"You hanged out with Ichiro too much," said Ranka. "You are starting to use the fish analogy."

  


"What fish," asked Yui. Ranka, Aoi, and Ichiro looked up when they saw Yui and Lemunia walking towards them. "Have you guys seen Miyu?"

  


"While you are at it, have you seen Lemures, Spartoi, and Nagi," asked Lemunia.

  


Aoi shrugged his shoulder. "Miyu came in this morning but I haven't seen her since. And as for the others..." He pointed at the door. "They just left a while ago."

  


"Do you think they found something about Carlua," asked Lemunia to Yui.

  


"It might be possible," Yui answered. "Come on." She quickly thanked Aoi and dragged Lemunia right after her. They ran out of the police station and managed to catch a glimpse of Spartoi and Nagi driving off. "Nagi!" She called out to him but they didn't hear her. Without turning around, they sped down the road.

  


"Damn," said Lemunia. "Come on!" He grabbed Yui by her hand and hailed a taxi. They quickly got in. "Followed that white car," demanded Lemunia.

  


"Which white one," asked the cab driver.

  


"The one that is turning around that corner," urged Yui. "Hurry please." With a nod of his head, the cab driver drove off.

  


***Okiyama Cliff***

  


Miyu looked at the cliff as she waited anxiously for Larva. "Have to be careful," she thought. "Anything can happen."

  


"Beautiful sight isn't it?" Miyu turned around to find Larva smiling at her.

  


"Yes, Larva," said Miyu. "But I believe you didn't ask me here to watch the scenery."

  


"You're right Miyu," Larva said coldly. Miyu watched in shock when Larva pulled out a gun and pointed it at her heart.

  


"Larva? What are you doing?"

  


"Isn't it obvious," Larva replied unemotionally. His expression became hard as he stared at Miyu. "I came here to kill you."

  


Miyu frowned and shook her head. "I don't see the humor in this joke, Larva. You disappeared without a trace for more than five days and now you are playing this trick on me. Everyone was worried about you." She took a step forward but quickly stopped when Larva shot the ground in front of her.

  


"I'm not joking Miyu." His eyes show no passion as he aimed the gun at her heart again. "I am really here to kill you."

  


"Why?" asked Miyu in disbelief.

  


"Because of what you have done to Carlua."

  


"Carlua?" Miyu frowned. "I didn't do anything to Carlua."

  


"Don't lie," Larva growled. "I know that you want to kill us. After all, your father did kill our parents."

  


Miyu narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "That is a lie Larva. You should know that."

  


"Gio told me..."

  


"Exactly," said Miyu. "Don't you remember, Larva?" She paused when she realized something. "You've lost your memory," she said, tilting her head.

  


"What does this have to do with that," Larva asked coldly.

  


"No wonder." Miyu muttered under her breath. "Listen Larva. The man you are staying with works for a clan called the Quarl. They are notorious for their drug operation and assassination. What he told you cannot be trusted."

  


"Good try," said Larva with his hand steadily pointed at her. "You are the one who is working for the Quarl."

  


"Don't ever say that to me again, Larva!" warned Miyu harshly. Larva was slightly taken aback by her attitude. "You know I hate them as much as one can ever do." She trembled with anger. "They killed my parents, don't you remember? Don't you remember that I am your partner and that you are the one who uprooted their whole operation in LA?"

  


Larva hesitated slightly. "Why should I trust you?"

  


Miyu smiled slightly. "Because I am your partner and because I trust you, Larva." Larva's eyes widened in shock. "Don't you trust me too?"

  


"I..." Larva groaned when his head started to fill with unknown images.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"She is just a girl."_

  


_Miyu gave him an amused smile and replies smoothly back to him. "And you are just a man."_

  


_*****_

  


_"An illusion." Larva nodded his head. "A futile chase isn't it?" He took a sip from his coffee. "I guess you're right." He lifted his glass of wine into the air. "Who said that Conan Doyle was a fool? A toast, Miyu?"_

  


_She nodded and lifted her glass of tomato juice up right next to the glass he was holding. The inside of the restaurant resounded with the brisk clink of the two glasses._

  


_*****_

  


_"We're partner, Larva," she said firmly. "Don't think otherwise."_

  


_*****_

  


_"When two people's blood intertwine, they are bounded by destiny."_

  


_*****_

  


_"Then why are you telling me this," Larva said softly. For a moment, they stare at each other in silence. Larva moved toward her slightly and repeated his question._

  


_"Because," she whispered. "Because I think I am starting to trust you."_

  


_*****_

  


_"I don't know how I feel for Miyu," said Larva. "I just know..." Larva paused when he remembered what Miyu said to him in the cave. "I just know that we are bounded by destiny." He turned to look at Carlua. "Miyu needs me. I am one of the people that she trusts."_

  


_"She needs you," Carlua murmured. "I need you too."_

  


_Larva shook his head. "I need her. Somehow, she is very important to me because she is the only person that can break down my barrier." Larva opened the door and stepped out. "And I am very important to her because I am the first and only person she has ever trusted for a long time."_

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"Larva?" He looked upward as the he continued to clutch his head in pain. She walked up to him slowly.

  


"Don't come near me." Larva warned painfully. His hand trembled as he looked at her worried face. "I..." An image of Carlua's silent form flashed into his mind. "No!" Without thinking, he pointed his gun at her heart and fired. Miyu eyes widened in shock when the bullet pierced through her heart. Blood squirted from the wound as she clutched at it painfully. Larva looked at her in horror when he realized what he had done.

  


"Larva," Miyu called softly as tears flow down her face. She closed her eyes and fell down on the ground. Her body remained motionless.

  


Larva lowered his hand unconsciously. He didn't even hear Gio approaching him. "I did it," Larva said when he finally noticed that Gio was standing beside him. He turned to look at Gio and stared at him blankly.

  


"You did it Larva," said Gio with a smile. "How does it feel?"

  


"I feel," Larva covered his mouth and coughed violently. He collapsed onto his knees. "I feel sick."

  


"Too bad," said Gio. He silently took his gun out from his pocket. "But I can make you feel better." Larva looked up and found Gio pointing a gun at his head.

  


"What are you doing?"

  


"Ending your misery," said Gio gleefully. He raised the gun to Larva's forehead. Before he could clicked his gun, a bullet pierced thorough his right arm, causing him to drop the gun. Larva quickly grabbed his gun and stood up. Gio stumbled from his pain in shock. His eyes widen in shock when he recognized the person who had shot him. "You!"

  


"That's right," said Miyu as she stood up slowly from her position, her gun aimed steadily at Gio. "You've gloated too early." She walked up to Larva and smiled. "Our trap worked successfully."

  


Larva smiled warmly at her and nodded his head. "You were right, little girl."

  


"Thank you, old man." She raised one of her eyebrows. "It also seems that you have gain your memory back."

  


"How," asked Gio. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Larva smiled at Miyu as she took out her handcuff.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_After shaking off her followers, she quickly stepped into the subway to make sure she would lose them. Weaving through the crowded passenger, she finally settled down at one of the corners. She lowered her gaze as she looked at the reports she had got back. The first report indicated that the blood inside the house indeed belonged to Larva. She was about to look at the next report, when she felt someone's eyes on her. Not wanting to notify them about her knowledge, she waited until there was a stop and plunged into the busy crowd. As she zigzagged across the station, the person diligently followed her. Miyu saw the exit and was about to go to it when someone grabbed her by her hand and pulled her to one corner. She quickly counter attacked by extending her leg and kicked her attacker off his feet. Miyu almost dropped her reports when she noticed who her attacker was. "Larva?" She rushed toward him and helped him up on his feet. "Larva, where have you..."_

  


_Larva placed a hand over her mouth and motion her to follow him. She nodded her head and followed him diligently. After one hour of evading, they finally reached to a little restaurant. Miyu looked at Larva when they have finished ordering their drink._

  


_"Where have you been, Larva?" asked Miyu._

  


_"I was with Gio and Carlua all the time," Larva explained. "I believe you know who they are."_

  


_"Of course," said Miyu. She reached for her bag and took out Gio's profile. "I looked him up after you disappeared. I believe you don't need this since you infiltrated Quarl a year ago."_

  


_Larva shook his head. "I'm going to need it. You see, I lost my memory." Miyu stared at him in shock._

  


_"How?"_

  


_"That is not important, Miyu," said Larva. "We should not waste our time on this when we have more important thing to discuss. He looked at her and frowned. "However, I wonder why you don't think I was joking."_

  


_"Because the Larva that I know will never joke with such serious matter," Miyu simply reply. Their drinks came and some odd sense of familiarity flashed through Larva when he saw Miyu sipping on her tomato juice._

  


_"Did we sit here before," asked Larva. Miyu shook her head._

  


_"The same drinks but not the same place." She gave him one of her annoying smile. "However, like you said, it is not important and we should not waste our time when we have more important thing to discuss." Larva frowned at her._

  


_"I believe you are always this annoying?"_

  


_"As much as you, my dear Larva." She smiled at him. "Now would you mind telling me what happen to you for these past few days?"_

  


_"Wait until I looked through his profile first," said Larva. "While I am looking at it, I would be delighted if you can tell me about my life and my relationship with you."_

  


_"You are my partner," Miyu said flatly. Larva smiled at her little comment. Somehow, he kind of expected that answer. With that said, she started to tell him about his life while he scanned through Gio's profile. After she was done, Larva nodded his head._

  


_"This wasn't what I heard from Gio," said Larva. He told Miyu about the tale that Gio had coax up for him. By the time Larva had finished, Miyu had to call for another glass of tomato juice. With the second one in her hand, she sat back and looked at Larva._

  


_"What make you suspect Gio?"_

  


_"What makes you think I suspect him?"_

  


_"I am not stupid Larva," said Miyu. "If you didn't suspect him, you wouldn't have come to me."_

  


_"That's true," said Larva. "I started to suspect Gio's story when I told Carlua about it. Her reactions made me suspect that the story might not be as true as he wanted me to believe. However, that was just my speculation. The thing that really overthrew his validity was when he told me that you attacked him and Carlua half an hour before I reached them." Miyu paid close attention to him as he continued. "I was watching you the time you were on the cliff. The closest distance from the hut to our hideout takes approximately one hour to get there. I left before you and when I was running towards there, I didn't hear any sound of motorcycle or car driving towards that direction. So the possibility of you getting over there within half an hour is impossible."_

  


_Miyu nodded her head. "Then what are you suggesting?"_

  


_"I want to set Gio up," said Larva. "Since he believes that I still want to kill you, we could make him fall into a trap."_

  


_"After you get rid of me, he will definitely get rid of you," said Miyu when she caught on to what he is planning. "Thinking that I am dead, he is bound to lower his guard."_

  


_"Exactly." Larva smiled at her. "But the main thing is that, how can we make it look like I have killed you?" Miyu smiled._

  


_"I have a way. All I need is your cooperation, my dear Larva. I believe your aiming is still as accurate as ever?"_

  


_"I'd believe so," said Larva._

  


_"In that case, this is what we can do." She took off her jacket and placed it on the table. "Pretend this is the bullet vest." She took one napkin and placed it on top of the jacket area over the heart. "I will place a bag of blood on this area. So when you shoot, the bullet will pierce the bag and bury itself in the bullet vest. That way, it would seem like the bullet has pierced my heart." She turned the jacket around. "I will placed another bag of blood on the back over here. When you shoot, I will press a button, which will automatically burst the bag. This will make it seem like the bullet has pierced my whole body." She took the jacket off the table. "In order to make this more convincing, I will not wear this jacket. I will just wear this T-shirt. That way, when the bullet hit me, it will look more convincing."_

  


_"Clever," approved Larva. "But how are you going to hide the sudden bulged area on your right side of the chest?"_

  


_"I won't put a huge bag over there. We just need enough to convince him that the bullet had hit me. Also, I will wear a thin coat over my T-shirt. I can add a guard to my other side to make it the side even." Larva nodded his head in approval. "For our safety, I will also position Spartoi and Nagi, so they could watch us in distance but close enough if something unexpected happens."_

  


_"Carlua," said Larva. "She is with the store manager."_

  


_"Don't worry," said Miyu. "Lemunia can look after her."_

  


_"To make sure," said Larva. "Press the button when I say 'no'." Miyu nodded her head. "Then I guess this is settled." Unconsciously he lifted his cup of coffee upward. Miyu smiled and clicked her glass of tomato juice against it. They quickly drank the drinks and proceeded out of the restaurant in separate ways._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


"How?" asked a bewildered Gio again as Larva and Miyu recalled their plan.

  


"It is for us to know," said Miyu.

  


***Lemunia and Yui***

  


"Where could they be," said Yui as she and Lemunia walked up the road.

  


"I don't know..." Lemunia stopped his sentence, when he saw Lemures entering a store. "Over there." They ran after him and entered the store. Least to say, Lemures was really surprised when he saw them bursting through the door.

  


"What the heck are you guys doing over here," asked Lemures with surprise.

  


"The same can be said to you," accused Lemunia. "Where is Carlua?"

  


"She is in the back room," said the store manager. "She just woke up." Not wasting anytime, Lemunia, Yui, and Lemures rushed forward to see her.

  


"Carlua," called Lemunia as he held her hand softly in his. Her eyes fluttered open. Joy filled her face when she recognized who he was. It was quickly replaced with panic.

  


"Hurry," Carlua said in her rasped voice. "Gio has convinced Larva to kill Miyu. Hurry!"

  


"Miyu!" said Yui. She was about to run out but Lemures stopped her.

  


"We know," said Lemures. "Nagi and Spartoi are already there. Go to sleep, Carlua. We will take care of it."

  


Carlua smiled softly and slipped back to sleep. Lemunia, Yui, and Lemures left her as they rushed towards Okiyama Cliff. They sneaked up slowly from the forest and saw Nagi and Spartoi positioned behind some trees.

  


"Miyu," whispered Yui admiringly when she saw Miyu taking out the handcuff. Her attention was quickly drawn away from her sister when she noticed a man sneaking out from his hiding. He was positioned in front of them and he had his gun pointed right at Miyu. Without thinking, Yui pounced on the man with Lemunia right behind her. They plunged into the clearing as they struggled with the man. Lemures quickly joined them and managed to apprehend the man.

  


Distracted by the commotion, Miyu and Larva turned away from Gio for a second and looked at Yui. Taking this opportunity, Gio knocked the guns away from Miyu and Larva's hands. Larva quickly turned to see Gio reaching into his pocket. "Miyu!" He quickly shoved Miyu behind him. Before Gio could pull his hand out from his pocket, two shots were fired at his back. His eyes widened and his body slacked forward from the assault.

  


"Larva!" Larva quickly turned away from Gio when he heard Miyu shouting out his name. To his horror, he saw her stumbling over the cliff. Nagi, Yui, and Spartoi sprinted forward when Larva leaped forward to grab Miyu by her hand. He managed to grab her hand when she fell backward. His body started to plunge over the cliff while he held onto Miyu. Dashing forward, Spartoi was able to grabbed Larva by the waist before he plunged over the cliff. Nagi and Yui rushed to the edge and reached their hands downwards.

  


"Don't let go, Miyu!" called Larva as he desperately held onto her right hand. He stuck his right hand downward. "Take my other hand, Miyu. Hurry!" Miyu lifted her left hand but before she could reach his hand, her right hand slipped from his grip. They all watched in horror when she fell downward towards the wave. Larva watched in shock when she gave him a little smile before turning around to face the wave. He stared at the ocean in disbelief as the wave engulfed her body. "Miyu!!!" Spartoi struggled to pull Larva back as he tried to plunge in right after Miyu. Nagi pulled the crying Yui backward while she struggled against his grip. "Let go of me," shouted Larva.

  


"She's gone," said Spartoi, while desperately holding on to Larva. "She's gone."

  


Larva collapsed onto his knees and buried his face on the ground in despair. "Miyu..."

  
  
  


Author's note:

  


Hehehe...a definite cliffhanger isn't it? Get it? Before you guys get angry with me, I should tell you that this chapter ends over here. The next chapter will start at a few weeks or days later. Something like that...hehehe. I know it has been a long time since I update...and well, this one is quite lame (rociellac: you don't say… * and she ran off before locke could grab a knife and kill her, making faces all the way* :p). Hehhee...for one thing...err...wait..let me say these things first. I am quite busy now so the next update won't be here for quite a long time. I am extremely sorry about this but I have to concentrate on my schoolwork and my work. Sorry about this. I hope you like this chapter though. Okay...now...continue to read on if you don't want to spoil the story...hehehe....okay...1) Amnesia is not that simple. The form of amnesia that I gave to Larva (rociellac: you 'gave' to him hmmm? -_-;;; sounding so proud of yourself) is just an ideal kind of amnesia. Real amnesia is far more serious that this. Also...he shouldn't have recover from his unconsious state so fast. 2) I don't know the locations...hehehe. I try to figure out how long it will take to get to one place or another but I can't. 3) I made up some area. I needed it to exist near the ocean. That is why I choose Tokyo Bay. Argh!!!


	7. Resurrection

A Heart that is Cold 

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_Disclaimer: I do not own the charecters in Vampire Princess Miyu. I am only using them for this fanfic. Please do not sue me._

  


_Acknowledgement: Rociella: Thanks for revising this chapter for me!!! I really appreciate it! Thanks! Aga and AllJAG: Thanks for your compliments! I really appreciate them. Sorry for the cliffhanger..hehehe. Thanks Angelangie for your comments! And...takes a deep breath: No Name, Dream Weaver, NickeyWhite2, Steahl, lan-yue, gwen, Sato Aiko, me, Grinning Contrivance, Platerair Queen, Chareinami-chan, animecrazed, Serenity Moon, liwei, Le Demon, Satiana, lara, crystal-kitty2003, alias451, Sailorsun90, Nae, Koneko, Jenny, Jen, question tag, Raine, and last but not least nekonomiko and Liyah-chan: Thank you so much for your support and nice comments. I really appreciate them and I am really happy to read all of your comment. Thank you. :): I am sorry that I haven't been updating but I have so much things to do. Thanks for your patience. coconut: Yep, I came up with all these plot twists but I couldn't have done it without the manga and anime to help me out...hehehe...so all of the creativity all goes to the wonderful creator of Vampire Princess Miyu! Oh yeah...to the first person that ever give me a threat, Larva Lover, hehehe...sorry, Larva have to suffer. Thanks for your comment and suggestion, Dark Phoenix. Hmm...I've never watch those series before...I guess that means I have to start watching them. I wrote this story because I love to read mystery novel...hehehe. Briar: Uhmm...not actually finish with school yet. Still have summer classes. Sigh...life is horrible. Alright then...I hope I included everyone. Now on with the story._

  


* * *

  
  


**Resurrection**

  
  


"Trash...nothing but just damn trash!" Van angrily closed the file he was looking at and stood up from his chair. With two quick strides, he reached the door to his office and yanked it open. He quickly scanned around his department, while everyone was working diligently. Some of them looked upward and sighed when they heard Van opening his door. "What the hell is this?!" Van angrily waved the file in his hand. Aoi, Ichiro, and Ranka prepared themselves for another of Van's tirade. Ever since Miyu had disappeared five days ago, Van had been in a foul mood. "Can't you even do something right for the first time!" Van angrily slapped the file on a nearby desk, causing the person, who sat there, to jump upward in fright at the sudden impact. However, Van didn't noticed that person's discomfort. His eyes flared up with fire when he looked at Aoi. "Aoi!" Aoi sighed inwardly and shook his head. "I want a full report on last night's raid. I want to know what happen and why did it fail. Do you understand?!"

  


"Yes, sir," Aoi answered tiredly.

  


"Good," growled Van, while turning his glare to everyone in the room. "I don't want to hear anymore failure from anyone of you! If the Quarl thinks they can just get away with...with..." Van never finished his sentence but everyone knew what he was about to say. Although he never liked to admit it and loved to complain about her, everyone knew that Van loved Miyu like she was his own daughter. "I want them capture," demanded Van, as he turned to his door. "And I want them capture as soon as possible. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone mumbled yes and slightly winced when Van slammed the door right after he entered his office. Before they could all finally relax, Van reopened the door with two files in his hand. "Ichiro!" Ichiro quickly jumped upward from his seat and accidentally knocked his desk during the process. He muttered a curse when the piles of files on his desk, slid off his desk from the impact and splattered papers all over the floor. One look at Van's angry face was enough to send Ichiro running after his papers. Looking at the unfortunate boy, Van just slapped the two files on the nearest desk and demanded to have them finished by noon. He quickly walked back into his room with another slam from his door. The middle age lady, who happened to be stuck with the files that were suppose to be for Ichiro, gave one deadly glared at Ichiro's direction, before she hurried on to finish those files by this hour. Ranka sighed and stood up from her desk.

  


"Let me help you," said Ranka. She bent downward to pick up some of the papers. It didn't take long for Aoi to join her. After a few minutes, they finally gather all of the papers and put them back into their respective folders.

  


"Thanks," Ichiro muttered to Aoi and Ranka. He looked at the piles of files on his desk and rubbed his temples. "I apply to the police force so that I can help solve cases. If I would have known I will be stuck doing all the paper works, I would have applied to the secretary position at the first place."

  


"I understand how you feel," said Ranka. She looked at own piles of files that were on her desk. "But there is nothing we can do but to go over all of the past cases of the Quarl until we can find a flaw within their system." She flipped open one file and frowned. At the corner of her eyes, she noticed Aoi sat down on his chair dejectedly. He opened his file and started to write out his report. "Aoi," thought Ranka, as she continued to observe him through the corner of her eyes. His face tightened while he wrote the report and frowns were constantly appearing on his face. "It must be hard on him." Ranka closed the file in her hand and placed it in the box that contained all of the files that Ichiro, Aoi, and her just gone through. She slowly picked up another file and opened it. "Van been constantly picking on Aoi, since Miyu's disappearance. We all know that it is not Aoi's fault that most of the raid have failed." Her hands gripped the file angrily, causing the papers to crumble within her hand. "Our positions and tactics are flawless, but somehow the Quarl always knew our plan." She closed the file and placed it on her desk. "A spy." She silently looked at the people that are in the office. "They have a spy in here, but we don't even know who it is," she thought with great frustration. Ranka turned to look at Aoi and found him griping the pencil tightly in his hand. Unconsciously she reached out her right hand toward his direction and laid it on his arm, while picking up the file with her other hand. As she read her file, she unknowingly started to pat Aoi softly on his left arm.

  


Aoi lifted his head slightly from the file when he felt Ranka tapping him softly on his arm. He looked at her and found her absorbed in the file she was reading. With a smile on his face, he looked at Ranka's hand that was laid on his arm. "Ranka," Aoi thought affectionately as she flipped the file to another page, with her right hand still tapping him on his arm. It's an old habit that she had. It's an old habit that she shared only with him. Whenever he was sad or lost, she would always tap him on his arm. "It's something her father taught her before he die." That was what she told him. Aoi slowly put down his pencil and placed his right hand uncertainly on his left arm. "It's this little action that draw me to her in the first place," thought Aoi.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Aoi! Come back over here!" Aoi darted away from his father and threw down the katana on the grass. Tears streamed down his face as he ran away from his father as fast as he can. "AOI!!!" Ignoring his father's voice, he quickly ran into the forest. He knew his father could catch up to him anytime if he wanted to. However, he also knew his father would not chase after him and leave his students behind, just so he could catch his four year old son and teach him some discipline._

  


_"Papa always care about his students more than me," Aoi thought sadly, while he continued to run through the forest. Unknowingly, his feet automatically brought him to the pond that was near his father's dojo. He sat down tiredly near the side of the pond and continued to cry. He cried even harder when he saw the red mark that appeared on his upper left arm. "Why does Papa have to be so mean to me? Why did he have to hit me so hard?" He lightly touched the red mark where his father's katana had struck him during the practice. He could still remember his terror when he fell off the stage. Instead of asking was he alright, his father started to scold him for being clumsy and for being distracted during the practice. Unable to bear the humiliation and his father's taunts anymore, Aoi ran out of there as fast as he could. "Stupid papa," he muttered angrily, while rubbing away the flow of tears that were still streaming down on his face._

  


_"Are you alright?" Aoi looked up in shock to find a little girl standing next to him. She was dressed in a little kimono and her dark black hair were pin upward into a bun. Her dark black eyes stared back at him as he continued to look at her._

  


_"She looks like one of those por-se-len dolls that mama have on the table," Aoi thought. He watched her when she sat down next to him._

  


_"Why are you crying," the girl asked innocently. Aoi's face flushed from embarrassment and quickly rubbed his face on his sleeves._

  


_"I am not crying," Aoi denied. He was not about to admit he was crying to a...a...girl! It was not right for a boy to cry in front of a girl._

  


_The little girl frowned and shook her head. "Yes you were."_

  


_"No, I wasn't!"_

  


_"Fine! But if you were not crying then why is your face so wet and your eyes are so red?" She smiled in triumph when Aoi looked dumbfounded at her questions._

  


_"Because...because..." Aoi stood up angrily and glared at the girl. "Because I was washing my face and some water got into my eyes, that's all." She looked at him with surprise when he turned away from her. "Just leave me alone." Aoi ran away from her before she could ask anymore question._

  


_"Wait..." He didn't look back at her. By the time that he reached home, all of the students were gone. His father was waiting patiently in the living room for his return. Aoi slid open the door solemnly and placed his shoe near the doorway before he walked into the room. He bowed his head downward and approached his father. His father looked at him as Aoi stopped three feet away from him and kneeled down on the floor._

  


_"Aoi," his father started._

  


_"Yes, father," Aoi meekly replied. He didn't dare to look up at his father. He kneeled there waiting for the blow to come but to his surprise it never did came. His father just stood up and walked across the room. He picked up Aoi's katana and tossed it in front of him._

  


_"Don't ever throw away your weapon again," said his father. "Keep it beside you like it is a part of you."_

  


_Aoi looked at his katana for a moment before he took it into his hands. He nodded his head silently and held on to his breath when his father approached him. Instead of hitting him, his father put his hand on Aoi's head and softly ran his hand through his son's hair. Aoi was so shocked by his father's suddenly display of affection that he had hardly heard what his father said to him next._

  


_"I expect to see you tomorrow early in the morning. We will continue from where we left off." With a small pat on Aoi's head, he started to head to his own room. Aoi looked at his father retreating form, before he turned to stare at his katana._

  


_"He didn't punish me," Aoi thought with bewilderment. A little smile appeared on his face as he set his katana next to his father's katana. However, it quickly disappeared when he looked at the entrance door. He walked up to the door and opened it. The sun already disappeared behind the mountain and coated the forest with a gloomy darkness. Aoi turned toward his shoe and was putting them on when his father walked out of his room._

  


_"Where are you going, Aoi," his father asked calmly. With his shoes halfway on his feet, Aoi quickly tried to stand up without falling flat on his face._

  


_"Fath...er." Aoi staggered around while he tried to get his balance. His father's lips tighten into a thin line as he watched his son, clumsily trying to regain his balance. With a few more awkward jerking, Aoi was finally able to face his father in a stable position. He quickly bowed to his father. "I...I was just going to see did we leave any important equipments outside," Aoi fibbed. He waited nervously under his father's gaze._

  


_"I've already checked." He walked toward the door and closed it. "Take off your shoe and dinner will be ready in a minute." Aoi nodded his head feebly as his father walked away from him and walked toward the dinning room. Aoi took off his shoes slowly, before he started right after his father. But before he entered the dinning room, he took one last look at the door._

  


_"I hope she's alright."_

  


_*****_

  


_Aoi pushed back down a yawn while he stood outside of the dojo with his father. He had a horrible time trying to fall asleep last night, just because he couldn't help wondering what happen to that little girl that he left inside the forest. He can't help but feel bad for abandoning her over there. He shifted the katana in his hands and looked out at the forest. "I wonder..." he muttered softly._

  


_"Aoi." Aoi quickly turned to his father when he called out his name. To his surprise, the rest of the students have already arrived to the dojo and were already ready for today's lesson. Aoi blushed slightly when he jogged up to his father's side. He quickly cast his eyes downward when he saw the disapproval in his father's eyes. His father spared one last look at his son before he turned to the rest of the class. "Students." Everyone turned to look at him with great seriousness on their faces._

  


_"Yes sensei," they replied._

  


_"Before we start our class today, I would like to introduce you to a new student." Aoi was still looking down at the floor when the new student appeared to them from the dojo. He finally looked upward when he heard a gasp from some of the students. When he saw who that new student was, he could hardly contain his surprise._

  


_"It's her," thought Aoi when he looked at the little girl with short black hair. She was dressed in a simple purple kimono with a red sash holding it back. She smiled slightly to him before she bowed down respectfully to the rest of her classmate._

  


_"Ohayoo gozaimasu. Hajimemashite. My name is Ranka," said the little girl. The grassy field was filled with little murmured as everyone greeted her back. She straightened up from her bow and turned to look at Aoi. One of her eyebrow rose up significantly while she continued to look at him. It didn't take long for Aoi to realize what her little facial expression meant and noticed his own rudeness._

  


_"Damn," Aoi muttered out loud and quickly clamped his hands over his mouth. He spared a quick glance at his father before he turned to greet Ranka. A look of disapproval already appeared on his father's face when he neglected to greet Ranka. It flared up even more when he had muttered such a rude comment in front of a girl. "The last thing I want is to anger my father more than he already is," thought Aoi as he straightened up from his bow. To his annoyance, Ranka was smiling at him. "She is mocking me!" He flared up in anger and turned abruptly away from her. While he indulged on his anger and his embarrassment, his father scanned the faces of the student in the class and cleared his throat._

  


_"Ranka will personally train with me and Aoi," he said. Everyone gasped when they heard what he just said. Aoi stared at his father in shock. His father never personally trained anyone before...well...except him. But that was only because he will be the future master of this dojo. Ranka smiled at Aoi as he continued to look at her with confusion written all over his face._

  


_"She must be really good," thought Aoi. He quickly shifted his attention back to his father when he gave them today's assignment. To Aoi's dismay, he was paired up with Ranka. The rest of the students rose up from the ground and bow respectfully to his father before they headed off to their training, while Aoi sighed nervously when Ranka approached him with her katana. "I better be on my guard."_

  


_*****_

  


_WHACK!_

  


_Aoi frowned and quickly threw down his katana on the grass. He rushed toward Ranka while she clutched her head. "You were suppose to block my blow with your katana," scolded Aoi as he tried to help her up. "Not with your head!" Ranka smiled ruefully at him. He worriedly looked at her._

  


_"I will block your blow next time," Ranka said. Aoi stepped back with a frown._

  


_"This was what you said the last time," he mumbled. When Ranka asked him what did he said, he just told her nothing. He walked away from her to pick back up his katana. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the rest of his classmates training far away from them two. "And I thought she was good," thought Aoi as he turned to look at Ranka. After they got split up into different team, his father intentionally took them away to another spot so they can train privately. Aoi was shocked to learn that Ranka didn't even know how to hold a katana. After an hour of instruction from his father, she finally managed to pull off some decent swings. His father nodded his head with approval and left them two to train with each other. Aoi can't help but feel guilty when he saw Ranka limping slightly from the blow she had received on her leg. "It's not my fault. I've tried to be nice to her, but she can't even fight." Aoi picked up his katana and looked at her while she swung her katana. "Do you..." Aoi hesitated. He looked at his father's direction and found him focusing all of his attention on the rest of the students. "Do you want to rest for a while," asked Aoi._

  


_"It's okay." She held her katana steadily in her hands and turned to face him with a perfect defensive fighting stance that even surprised Aoi. "I'm ready when you are."_

  


_Aoi knew he should be aware that something was wrong over here, but as a child, he didn't bother to think it though. He didn't even catch the little smile that was displaying on her face. So...he charged right at her with his katana ready to strike her. When he reached her, he raised his katana upward to knock her on the chest. However, to his surprise, she managed to block his blow. "I didn't even see it move!" Before Aoi could get over his initial shock, Ranka slammed her elbow on his face, ramming his head backward. The air was knocked out of him when her katana hit him hard across the chest. His body flew up a few feet before it landed into a heap on the floor. His eyes rolled backward when he felt the darkness consuming him. He could have sworn he heard Ranka calling him before he lost himself to the darkness._

  


_*****_

  


_"Where am I?" Aoi looked around him only to see nothing but darkness. "Hello," Aoi shouted to his surroundings. As soon as the word left his mouth, it was consumed by the darkness. Aoi looked around him in terror and sat down trembling. "Am I dead?" Tears started to fall down on his face as he rubbed his arms to keep himself warm. Somehow the room was colder that it was before. "I don't want to die! Daddy..." Aoi continued to cry softly to himself. He didn't even notice the tapping on his arm until he had cried his eyes out. He jumped up in alarm and looked around him when he felt the small little tapping on his arm. To his horror there was no one beside him. "A...a...ghost." Aoi trembled even more when he felt someone had taken his right hand. He could still feel the little taps on his right arm. Aoi tried to pull away but the grip only got stronger._

  


_"I'm here." Aoi stopped his struggled when he heard someone calling to him. "I'm sorry." He noticed the voice belong to a girl but he couldn't recognize whom it belongs to. He strained his ear to catch more of her words but she never spoke again. Somehow the tapping and the grip in his right hand started to smooth away his fear._

  


_"Who are you," Aoi asked. No one answered him, but the tapping was still there. He was suddenly tugged toward a direction. Aoi hesitated for a moment before he started to walk to the direction where the invisible hand was leading him to. It didn't take long for him to reach to the destination. Aoi looked at the door that stood before him with great suspicion. The grip on his right hand had left him once he reached there but the tapping was still there. "I hope it is brighter than this place." Aoi placed his hands on the door and pushed._

  


_*****_

  


_Aoi groaned when the light in the room shined on his sensitive eyes. He quickly closed them back up and rubbed his eyes. "Where..." Aoi coughed suddenly when he felt a huge pain coming from his chest. His eyes snapped open when someone placed a hand softly on his chest._

  


_"You're alright," Ranka said as she leaned toward him. To his surprise, tears were streaking down her worry face. She quickly wiped her tears away from her eyes with the sleeves from her kimono. He looked at her in puzzle when she started to giggle from relief. Aoi wanted to ask what was wrong with her but the pain in his chest prevented him from saying anything. The door to his room creaked when his father slid open the door and walked into his room. He looked at his son coldly and shook his head._

  


_"You are lucky to only have your air knocked out from you," his father said with great disapproval. "If you would have observed Ranka's style much more closely, you would have notice she was just faking her own ignorance." Ranka blushed as she continued to wipe the tears from her cheek. "She intentionally hide her own strength and skills from you, in order to throw you off your guard and to measure your fighting tactics." Aoi lowered his eyes so he didn't have to meet his father's cold glare. "A boy like you should not have fallen for such tactics." He turned to look at Ranka and patted her on the shoulder. "You've did good for today." Ranka quickly muttered a thank you, while keeping her hands placed softly on Aoi's futon. A wave of jealousy and hatred washed over Aoi when he noticed how fondly his father looked at Ranka. His father took his hand away from Ranka's shoulder and headed for the door. Before he walked out, he looked at Aoi one last time. "You will continue your training tomorrow morning." Without another word, he walked out of the door, leaving Aoi and Ranka behind. For a moment, they both sat there in silence. Unable to look at her, Aoi turned his face away and tried to move away from her._

  


_"She tricked me," Aoi thought angrily. "Now dad must think I am stupid! It's all her fault." To his astonishment, tears started to flow from his eyes. He tried to raise up his arms to wipe away his tears, but to his surprise, Ranka was touching him softly on his right arm. He was about to pull it away but quickly stopped himself when she started to tap softly on his arm. It didn't take long for him to realize that the tapings that he felt in his dream came from Ranka. Wiping his face with his left arm, Aoi could feel his anger fading away. Somehow, he can't just bring himself to hate the person that comforted him when he was so scared and lonely. But he still didn't want to look at her._

  


_"My daddy told me this is how you make people feel better," Ranka said softly. "He said it is a way to let them know you are there for them." Before he knew it, Ranka placed one of her hands on his chest and laid her head softly on it. Her other hand was still tapping him on his arm. "I'm sorry." Aoi could feel something wet dropping on his shirt. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Can you forgive me?" She raised her eyes to his face but he still didn't look at her. Ranka sighed inwardly and was about to move away from him. However, to her relief, he placed his unoccupied hand on top of her head and started to pat her head softly. She smiled and closed her eyes as he continued to pat her. After a few minutes have past, Aoi turned to look at her when she suddenly stopped moving and continued to lie on his chest. To his surprise, he found her fast asleep. His groaned slightly and tried to shift her away. After a giving her a few gentle tug, he finally gave up when he realized she was holding tightly on to his shirt. Unwilling to give up his shirt and embarrass himself in front of her again, he just laid back on his bed and tried to go to sleep. Unfortunately, his chest still hurted and Ranka's pressure on it didn't help relieve the pain he was feeling._

  


_"This is going to be a long night." Aoi rolled his eyes and looked at Ranka. A smile lifted up on his face. Somehow, he can't bring himself to stay mad with this girl. "She is going to a lot of trouble."_

  


_*Flashback*_

  


"And she is," Aoi thought ruefully. He looked at her as she continued to go through files after files. "It didn't take long for her to realize how much the others hate her. Not only was she the only girl in the class, she also received special training from my father." Aoi sighed and covered her hand with his own. Ranka quickly looked up from her file and turned to him. "You are a lot of trouble, do you know that," Aoi said softly.

  


She raise up one of her eyebrow and slowly placed the file she was holding back onto her desk. "Excuse me?" She then looked at her hand that was in his grip. "I'm sorry but was I bothering you?"

  


"No." She continued to look at him in silence, waiting for him to explain himself for calling her troublesome. "I was just thinking about the past," Aoi explained. "I was just wondering since when did I decided to become your protector."

  


Ranka smiled softly at him and lift up her file once again. "Since the day we start training with each other." Aoi nodded his head and released her hand. He was about to turned back to his file when Ranka called out his name. Her face was hidden behind the file she was holding within her hand. "I've never thank you for what you have done for me in the past, Aoi. I just...thank you." He smiled slightly and took the file away from her face. He was surprise to see her blushing slightly. Ranka hardly revealed her emotion and when she did, it was one of the most beautiful and precious sights Aoi have ever seen.

  


"You don't have to thank me Ranka. I protect you because I wanted to." Ranka lifted her eyes to him and gave him a beautiful smile, while he held on to her hand. However, this moment was scattered when Ichiro angrily slammed his file on his desk and caused everyone in the office to jump up in shock. Ranka quickly turned her attention to Ichiro and frowned at his behavior.

  


"I can't take this anymore," moaned Ichiro. "If I look at another file, I am going to scream!"

  


"Ichiro, stop exaggerating," Ranka scolded. "It's not that bad."

  


"Not that bad," Ichiro exclaimed in disbelief. He tossed one of his files to Ranka's desk. "Look for yourself!" Ranka opened the file and frowned. "See what I mean?!" She calmly closed the file and handed it back to Ichiro. He quickly grabbed it away from her hand and tossed it back on his table. "I swear I will have to get a pair of glasses by the time I finish these files. What must Van thinking when he type these files in 8 size font!"

  


"Congratulation, Ichiro."

  


"Congratulation?"

  


"Yes." Ranka twisted her chair to face him. "That is Van's way to inform people of a promotion." She smiled at him and shook his hand. "I guess you will be promoted to our level."

  


"Oh..." Ichiro sat there in shock as he waited for the information to sink in. His face slowly lifted into a smile. "ALRIGHT!" Everyone in the office looked at him, when he jumped out of his chair and screamed out loud. His joy was swiftly extinguished when Van stormed out of his room and demanded who caused the noise. It didn't take him long to find himself with another pile of files on top of his desk. He can't help but glare at Ranka and Aoi as they tried unsuccessfully to hide their laughter. "You guys are great, do you know that?" He scowled slightly when they looked at him innocently. He picked up one of the file from the new pile and threw it on his desk in disgust when he discover it was in the same font as the rest of the files he had just went through. Pulling his short black hair in frustration, Ichiro slumped back on his chair and glanced around the room. A sigh left his mouth when he noticed everyone was frantically working in top speed. "Man...I don't think anyone of us can handle anymore of this torture. If Larva doesn't come back..." He left his sentence unfinished and turned toward Aoi's direction. "By the way, how is he holding up?"

  


Aoi shrugged his shoulder, while twirling the pencil in his hand. "I don't know," he said. "From what Spartoi told me, he is still moping in his home. Yui, Nagi, and Carlua have been trying to talk to him but he isolated himself."

  


"How about Yui?"

  


"She is still hoping they will find Miyu alive."

  


Ichiro sighed and leaned back on his chair. "I hate to admit it but...I want Larva back." He grimaced when he returned back to the files on his desk. "Even though he had caused me enough headache for a life time."

  


Ranka nodded her head in agreement. "So do I."

  


***That Night***

  


"That is the last one," Carlua thought as she dried the dish and placed it back into the cabinet. She closed it and turned to look at the kitchen. A frown appeared on her tired face when her eyes fell upon the pile of leftovers that were sitting on the table. She sighed while recalling how Larva and Nagi look when they arrived back home tonight. Like the previous days, they came back home with no clues of Miyu's whereabouts. Without pausing at the table, Larva went straight to his room and locked himself in there. Nagi stopped by to tell her the news before he went straight toward Yui's room to see how she was doing and report back to her about today's result. Sitting dejectedly on the table, she ended up eating her dinner in silent until Nagi came downstairs to grab some food for Larva, Yui, and himself. With a sigh, she pushed herself away from the sink and slowly walked toward the table. Before she reached there, she happened to pass a little vanity mirror that was embedded on one of the cabinet's door. Her eyes roam over her feature, causing her frown to deepen. Brushing her hair away from her face, Carlua noticed, somehow, she looked a year older that she really was. Her face bore the appearance of a person that had suffered extreme hardship and was tired of life. Somehow, she can't help but laughed at her reflection. Turning away from the mirror with a bitter chuckle, she grabbed the food from the table and opened the refrigerator. As she started to place them in the fridge, she could hear someone going down the stair and heading into the kitchen. She immediately knew whom it was, without having to turn around and looked at the person. "Hi Nagi."

  


Nagi walked up to the kitchen and poured himself some water. "Do you need any help, Carlua?" She shook her head. She placed the last dish into the refrigerator. When she turned to look at him, he was surprised to find how tired she looked. Placing the cup on the counter, he promptly pulled back a chair and gently guided Carlua toward it. She sat down on it gratefully and accepted the cup of water he gave her. Nagi took his cup of water from the counter and sat down across from her. "You look tired." Carlua smiled slightly and sipped her water. "I'm sorry." She was surprised to hear him apologizing. "I mean, Larva and I haven't been that much of a help lately, since we are constantly at the search site. Also...thanks for taking care of Yui when I am not here."

  


"It's alright," said Carlua. She noticed Nagi watching her with great concern. Remembering how she looked in the mirror, Carlua immediately waved her hand slight in a nonchalantly motion and laughed slight. "You don't have to look that worry. I might look tired but I didn't really do anything at home. I am not going to collapse."

  


"How about mentally?" Nagi silently noticed her face suddenly became more haggard that it was before. He was startled out from his thought when the bell to the front door rang. He stood up with Carlua and they rushed toward the door. Before Carlua can unlock the locks, Nagi placed a hand softly on top of her hand to stop her. Taking hold of his gun, he slowly withdrew the curtain from the side window and looked at the person who was paying them a visit so late at night. He quickly placed his gun back on his holster, when he realized who it was. With a nod from his head, Carlua let out the breath she was holding and undo the locks on the door. When she opened the door, she was shock to see who was standing outside in the cold night.

  


*******

  


His room was shrouded in darkness with only the moonlight as its source of light. Things were discarded carelessly around the room, and his computer was humming softly at the corner of the room. The clouds moved onward, allowing the moon to reveal more of its brilliant radiance into Larva's window. A brief ray of light passed Larva's dejected figure before it was covered again by another cloud. He was sitting near his door and with his knees propped up. His head hang down from his neck whilst his eyes stared at the item they found today in the site. Fiddling with the red ribbon in his hands, he closed his eyes in sorrow when he remembered how he had gave this ribbon to Miyu in the past. A soft knock came from his door but he didn't move. "Larva?" He could hear Carlua calling him, but still he didn't budge. He scowled slightly when he heard the lock on his door gave way when she inserted the key into the lock for his room. Lifting his head toward the direction of the door, he quickly squinted his eyes as the light from the hallway flew into his room. Two figures stood there looking at him. Larva quickly recognized Carlua as one of them because she was the one that called out to him. However, the other figure escaped his knowledge for the moment because his eyes have failed to adjust to the sudden glare of light. The unknown stranger did not waste time to make himself known to Larva.

  


"Larva." Larva quickly stood up when he realized whom it was. Blinking his eyes twice to clear the glare, he could not clearly see the stranger.

  


"Father," Larva murmured. Pazusu looked at Larva while he stood there trembling before him. He slightly grimace when he noticed Larva's condition. His beautiful blue hair was in a mess and his shirt and coat were filled with wrinkles. Pazusu turned to look at Carlua and softly told her to leave them two. With a nod on her head, she walked down the hallway. Before she went down the stairs, she gave one last glance at them. Once she was gone, Pazusu slowly walked into Larva's room.

  


"I was worried about you, Larva," said Pazusu, maneuvering around the clothes that were lying on the floor. "Carlua told me everything, and I try to come here as fast as I can." He reached Larva and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How are you holding up?" Without a word, Larva leaned into his Pazusu's embrace and silently cried on his shoulder.

  


*****

  


Stifling a yawn, Ichiro stepped out of the elevator and entered the police department for another new day of work. He took a small sip from the cup of coffee in his cup and nodded his sleepy head toward Aoi and Ranka. Like always, they were there before the other arrive. He slumped down on his chair when Aoi and Ranka greeted him. His hand automatically slipped toward a file on his desk, while he placed his coffee on his desk. The room was filled with silence with only the sound of rustling papers invading the silence. While they continued to look through the files, people started to pour into the office. After an hour, the office buzzed with noise as everyone hurried on with their work. Ichiro sighed when he finished the file in his hand and placed it in the box. When he reached for another file, he noticed the noise in his office suddenly disappeared. He raise his gaze from his desk and noticed everyone was staring at the door. His gaze immediately turned toward the direction of the door and froze. The file slipped out of his hand and slid on the floor as he stood up from his desk. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Ranka and Aoi standing up next to him.

  


Unconsciously, Larva lifted his hand toward the neck of his coat and touched the red ribbon that was pinned on that area. His cold red eyes scanned the room quickly and without a word, he stepped into the office. Ignoring the people that were staring at him, Larva headed toward his desk and sat down. He looked at the files that were placed on his desk. He took the oldest file on his desk and silently looked through it. After a moment of silence, the room slowly returned back to normal. Aoi looked at Ranka and she nodded her head. They slowly walked toward Larva, while Ichiro hurried off toward the lobby. Larva's eyes remained glue to the file when Aoi and Ranka reached him. They looked at each others and watched Larva in silence. Either he didn't noticed they were there or was ignoring them, Larva continued to flip through the files.

  


"Van told us to give you a copy of all of the raid that we made while you were gone," said Aoi. Larva nodded his head and turned to the next page. By the time he was done, Ichiro arrived with two cup of coffee and placed one of them on Larva's desk. He took a sip of his own coffee, while Larva placed the finished file on the other side of his desk.

  


"The line was long," said Ichiro. "How do you like it?" Larva sipped his cup of coffee and picked up another file.

  


"Miyu would want me here," Larva said softly before he opened the next file. Aoi, Ranka, and Ichiro nodded their heads before the head back to their own desk.

  


******

  


"Come on, Ranka," said Ichiro as he dragged Ranka toward the men's locker room. Ranka frowned at Ichiro when he continued to drag her down the hallway. They muttered a quick apology to the people they bumped on their way.

  


"Ichiro," Ranka said calmly. "Where are you trying to take me? The raid is about to start."

  


"I know," said Ichiro. "That is why...we're here!" He opened the men's locker room slightly and peered inside. "Uhm...if anyone is in here, you better leave now. Ranka is coming in."

  


Ranka growled when she heard his announcement. "You make it sound like I am a monster or something."

  


"Well..." He quickly closed his mouth and shrugged his shoulders. His unfinished statement caused Ranka to raise up one of her eyebrow when she looked at him. "Better recieve this kind of look than to have her mad at me," Ichiro thought to himself. "I don't want to tell her that all of the guys are scared of her because of what happened last time." He smiled slightly when he recalled how shock the male population of this department have looked like when Ranka strolled into the male's locker room, without any regard to whether they are dressed or not, and handed a smiling Aoi the document that he needed, before she strolled out of the locker room without even giving anyone of them a glance. The men cleared out of the locker room faster than a speeding bullet after that incident.

  


"Well...are you coming in?" Ranka's voice managed to knock him out of his reminiscence. To his surprise, Ranka was standing inside the locker room with the door wide open. "We don't have time to waste." He nodded his head and strolled inside. He passed by the rows of locker with Ranka's footsteps resonating on the floor right after him. He quickly stopped in front of his locker and started to play with his combination. "I'm getting a little bit impatient," Ranka said with her arms crossed in front of her.

  


"Alright. Just wait a sec...there!" Ichiro slipped off the lock and opened the locker. Without looking behind him, he quickly took one of the vests and tossed it behind him. Before it can hit Ranka right on her face, she rose up her hand and caught it.

  


"A bullet proof vest," she said dryly. "You took me all this way to show me this bullet proof vest." She tossed it back to Ichiro right when he turned back to look at her. He jumped up with surprise when it smacked him right on the face. "I can't believe you," she said, while sh started to walk away. "Our department provides the vest for us, and it take lesser time for us to get it from them than coming over here. The more time that we waste here, our chances for capturing the criminals are slimmer."

  


"Wait," said Ichiro when he managed to pry the vest off his face. He grabbed on to Ranka's hand and turned her around. "I know that, but this bullet proof vest is the best there is in the market. You and I both know that our department one's are falling apart. I just want to make sure that you are safe." Ranka's eyes soften when she heard his kind words. "Hey, Miyu is already gone. I don't want to lose another friend." She gave him a little smile and took the vest from him.

  


"Thank..." She left her gratitude unfinished when she heard the door to the locker room closing softly. "Who's there?" When no one answered, Ranka and Ichiro ran swiftly toward the door and looked around. "He might be a spy," she thought to herself. "Or else, why would he have to be that sneaky." She was about to run out of the door but stopped when Ichiro placed a hand on her shoulder.

  


"Hey, Larva." Ranka looked toward the direction that Ichiro was looking and sure enough, Larva was there. His back was faced toward them and he was sitting on the floor. His head was slumped forward, with his back leaning on the bench. If Ichiro hadn't look closely, they would missed his presence. "Larva?" Larva lifted his head up and silently stood up.

  


"I'm not going to the raid," he said without turning to look at them. Ichiro was about to ask him why but Larva cut him off. "They are leaving right now."

  


Ranka nodded her head and pulled Ichiro out of the door before he could say anything else. With them gone, Larva sat back down on the floor and looked up to the ceiling. His hand fiddled with Miyu's ribbon while he continued on with his thought before they were interrupted.

  


*******

  


"Get in there," Ichiro growled while pushing the struggling man into the police car. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around him proudly. Red and blue light flashed through the dark sky as the rest of the police cars load up the rest of the criminals. "Tonight's raid turned off nicely didn't it?" He gave a smirked to Ranka, who happened to be standing right beside him. However, his smirk immediately disappeared when he noticed the frown on her face. "Is it me or nothing satisfy you? You are always frowning."

  


"You wouldn't be that happy if you notice tonight's raid," Ranka said simply.

  


"What? We caught all of them," said Ichiro. "We even got the evidences to put them behind bars."

  


"Is that so," said Ranka. She walked up to the warehouse and nodded her head slightly to her fellow colleagues that were collecting the drugs to examine. Ichiro followed closely behind her.

  


"Ranka?"

  


She spun around to face him, while flinging her hand around her to indicate the warehouse. "Only fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes! That is how fast it took us to accomplish this raid." She walked up to the wall and hit the door. "Look at this, Ichiro. No bullet holes. Nothing!" She looked around her in frustration. "They just give up without a fight. Does that sound normal to you, Ichiro? Does it?!"

  


Ichiro shrugged his shoulder and looked around him. "I don't know. But...you are right. All we did was come over here and surround them. When we announced our presence, they just opened the door and walked up with their arms straight upward and allowed us to catch them." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But the Quarl are not like that. They would fight with us till the end, but they didn't. So...what the heck or they up to?"

  


"That is what I want to know," said Ranka. "If this was to serve as a decoy, they could just leave this place vacant. Instead, they set up this place exactly like they are preparing for a drug trade." She picked up a bag of drug from one of the nearby crate and looked at the other opened crates that were packed with drugs. "This whole trade is worth a few hundred thousands. Why would the Quarl waste so much of their money just to throw us off from their real trade? Why?!"

  


Ichiro sighed and shook his head. "Damn it. Where is Aoi when you need him," he muttered. The young man in question somehow disappeared when Van came out of his office to assign their role. Ichiro scowled when he recalled how Van yelled at him when he wasn't able to tell Van where Aoi disappeared. Luckily, Ranka took up Aoi's position to lead the raid.

  


Ranka frown deepen when she wondered where did Aoi disappeared. Her thought was interrupted when a member of the crew walked up to her.

  


"We are ready to return, Madam Ranka," said the young detective. Ranka nodded her head and walked out of the warehouse with Ichiro following right behind. She jumped into her car with Ichiro and started to drive off. Ichiro quickly strapped on the seat belt and grabbed hold of the car door when Ranka started to swerve around the cars.

  


"Uhm...Ranka?" Ichiro looked at Ranka when she suddenly braked in the middle of the road. The cars behind her swerved and honk wildly at her as they passed to avoid her. Ichiro gave a silent quick thank to his seat belt before turning to look at Ranka. To his surprise, he found her shaking in her seat with her head bow down to the wheel. "Ranka?" He reached over to her and touched her on her shoulder. Her grip on the wheel tightened slightly. He could hear her mumbling something but he wasn't able to understand what she is saying. "What are you....?" His sentence was cut off when her head suddenly snapped upward. She glared in front of her and before Ichiro could brace himself, she pressed on the gas pedal and speeded forward. "Ranka???"

  


"They did that to cover up their spy," Ranka said in a cold tone. "Our recent raids have come up with nothing because there is a spy in our department. Because of this, we suspect there is a spy in our department."

  


"I get it," said Ichiro when he finally caught on to what Ranka was indicating. "Our department must have singled out an individual and started to investigate that spy. So...in order to throw off the head of our department, they intentionally set up this trade so that we can successfully capture them. These guys are just the scapegoat for the spy! That spy must be worth something to waste hundreds of thousands of profit on him."

  


"I know," said Ranka as she made a sharp left.

  


"Ranka?!" Ichiro looked at her in surprise. "Where are we going? This isn't the way to the department."

  


"I know," said Ranka in a cold voice. "But Aoi's car is just right in front of us."

  


"Aoi?" He looked at the road ahead of them and found out she was right. "But why are we...YOU ARE NOT SUSPECTING AOI, ARE YOU?!" When Ranka didn't say anything, Ichiro threw up his hand in frustration. "COME ON, RANKA! How can you suspect Aoi?"

  


"It's not my option," said Ranka sadly. She reached for the glove department and opened it. She took the file in there and gave it to Ichiro. Ichiro quickly looked at the file cover and noticed it was marked confidential.

  


"Am I allow to look at it," asked Ichiro. Ranka shook her head but she continued to stare in front of her. "Damn...you are going to get us both in trouble." He quickly flipped it open and stifled a cry. "What the hell!" Ichiro rapidly flipped through pages of the document and stared at it in disbelief. Every single page in the documents was filled with information about Aoi and the activities he had done for these past few weeks. Ichiro closed the file and looked at Ranka. "All of them are just speculations. There is no actual truth."

  


"Who are you trying to convince, Ichiro," snapped Ranka. He looked down on his lap. "If there is no evidence against Aoi, do you think the department will waste their time to investigate him? Do you?!" They sat there in silence as they continued to follow Aoi. After following Aoi for half an hour, they finally reached an isolated area. Ranka immediately slowed down her car when the amount of cars on the road decreased significantly. Soon, there were only a few cars left on the street.

  


"Damn," Ichiro cursed when Aoi's car disappeared from their sight. "Where the heck did he disappear to?"

  


"He turned into the pier," Ranka said dryly as she made the same turn Aoi did a few seconds before. However, instead of driving into the parking lot, she stopped her car at the side of the road. Ichiro and her swiftly scrambled out of the car and ran into the parking lot. Ranka took out her gun and nodded her head when Ichiro took out his. It didn't take them long to locate Aoi's car. However, by the time that they did, the car was empty and Aoi was no where to be seen.

  


"Let's split up and search this area," Ichiro whispered. "Why don't we meet back at your car after an hour or so?" Ranka nodded her head and they both checked their clocks before they separated.

  


Holding the pistol tightly in her hand, Ranka carefully stepped around the crates that were piled along the pier waiting to be load. The warehouse, that was located right next to the pier, was dimly lit. Ranka slowly approached over there with her gun placed right in front of her. She froze when she reached there. Lying on the floor were two security guards. One of them had their head bashed in and the other laid on the bloody floor with a gunshot wound through his head. Ranka silently muttered a cursed as she moved behind the crates and into the shadows. Maneuvering through the darkness, she reached to the warehouse's wall undetected. Her breath was heavy as she leaned against the wall. Taking two breaths to calm her nerve, Ranka slowly moved to a window and peered inside. To her surprise, darkness shrouded the room. "I guess the activity is not in here," she thought to herself. But in order to be sure, she stood there for a few minutes to listen for any noises within the warehouse. After standing there for more than fifteen minutes, she decided that this must not be the correct location.

  


She moved away from the warehouse and continued on with her search. Her nerves shook with every step that she took. Her light footsteps seemed to echo loudly in her ears. Her heart beated faster as she continued to move through crates after crates. Sweat streamed down her face even though the icy wind chilled her bone.

  


"Everything is loaded." Ranka froze when a man shouted out the announcement. She looked at the pier's direction and quickly hurried over there. A loud slap resonated through the quite air just when Ranka approached toward the area of activity.

  


"Shut up, you damn idiot. You want to wake up everybody?" Ranka gasped lightly when she saw a ship loaded with cargos right beside the pier. Four men dressed in black stood at the edge of the pier and one of them was releasing the ropes that tied the ship to the pier. A woman, with light blond hair, turned her back toward Ranka's direction. Her long blond hair was tugged into a bun. Ranka hid behind a crate, and she watched the woman carefully. The woman took something out from her long black coat and turned toward the direction of one of the worker.

  


"I'm sorry," said the worker that shouted that announcement earlier. "I..." His sentence was cut off when a bullet ripped through his chest. With a gurgling sound, he fell off the ship and went into the ocean. The woman, who fired the gun, slowly lower her gun and delicately smooth away a lock of her hair away from her face.

  


"I don't tolerate loud mouths," she said coldly. She then turned to look at the rest of the crew, who stood there with fear in their eyes. "What are you standing here for?" Her question snapped them out of the trance. With one terrifying look at her, they quickly continued their work. Ranka caught a glimpse of her face when she had turned to look at her crew's labor. Her icy blue eyes flashed beautifully in the moonlight, and her angel face became distorted when she smirked at their reaction.

  


"Beautiful and deadly," thought Ranka. She released the safety on her gun. She was about to rise up when a male's voice rang lightly in the air.

  


"Gima...impatient as always." Ranka froze when she saw the blond hair woman turned around with a smile to look at the man that strolled toward her.

  


"Aoi," whispered Ranka when she saw Aoi walking to Gima with a smile on his face. Gima smiled and quickly wrapped her arms around Aoi's neck. Ignoring the look of the people around them, they kissed each other passionately. Tears streamed down from Ranka's cheek as she witness the scene before her. Up until now, she never did believed that Aoi would betrayed his team. She was determined that it was a mistake, and she almost got herself thrown off the case when she argued with Van about Aoi's innocence. But now...her heart felt lost and broken. "How can he betray us? How can he betray...me? After all these years..." Her sorrow quickly replaced with anger. She hastily stood up from her position, only to be knocked down by someone. Her gun flew away from her hand when a man hit her hard on the back. She crashed into the crate in front of her. Before she could react, she could feel the cold metal of the gun nudging her temple.

  


"I wouldn't move if I were you," a man warned. He grabbed Ranka by her hair and pulled her head upward. His partner silently picked up Ranka's gun and stored it in his coat. Ranka tried to look at her captor's face but whenever she tried to turn, he would twisted her lock of hair harder. Her eyes landed on Aoi and Gima when they looked toward her direction. Aoi's astonished face caused Ranka to laugh bitterly.

  


"Bring her here," ordered Gima. She watched Ranka coldly as the man pushed Ranka toward Gima and Aoi. A flash of irritation appeared in Gima's eyes when Ranka stared back at her defiantly. Her captor released her hair but he took the gun away from her temple and pointed it at her back. Within a second, he bound her hands behind her back. Gima slowly walked up to Ranka and stopped right in front of her. "Oh...so you are a detective." She laughed slightly and slapped Ranka hard on the face. She smirked when Ranka slowly turned her face back to her. The anger in Gima's heart boiled when Ranka continued to look at her with defiance. She quickly turned away from Ranka and looked at Aoi. His face registured no emotion when he looked at Ranka, kneeling on the floor. "Honey?" Aoi looked at her just as she slipped her arms around his neck. She silently smiled when she saw the flickering pain that flashed in Ranka's eyes. Gima kissed Aoi and nuzzled him on the neck. "Do you know this girl?"

  


"Yes," Aoi said simply. "She was my partner."

  


"Oh...partner," Gima said softly. She looked at Ranka and shook her head in a teasing way. "You poor girl. It must hurt you to see that your partner have betray you." Her mouth lifted into a cruel smile when Ranka tried to stand up but was pushed back on her knee. Gima turned her attention back at Aoi and played with his ear. "Does this hurt you, Aoi? Does it hurt you to see that I am hurting your partner?"

  


Although she tried to hide it, Ranka can help but gasped when Aoi looked at her coldly. "Her life mean nothing to me."

  


"Alright," said Gima in a singsong tone. She placed a gun in Aoi's hand and kissed him on the cheek. "Then kill her." She smiled at Aoi and stood away from him. Aoi looked at the gun for a moment before he pointed it at Ranka's chest. Ranka's captor lifted her back on the feet and dragged her near the edge of the pier. Gima's eyes gleamed with pleasure when Aoi continued to point his gun steadily at Ranka's chest.

  


"Aoi." Aoi's hand wavered slightly when Ranka softly called out his name. He stared at her eyes as she stood there in front of him. "Aoi."

  


"I'm sorry, Ranka," Aoi said with an emotionless tone. "But...you weren't able to give me what I wanted." He fired the gun at her chest. When the bullet hit her, her body was thrown backward. The sudden movement of her body caused her captor to lose his grip on her. Before they knew it, she plunged deep into the black ocean.

  


"Damn it," Gima cursed as she ran up to the area where Ranka disappeared. "Where is the flashlight?! Come here quick!" The crews scrambled toward the area and flashed their flashlights on the ocean. Fifteen minutes pass and there was no sight of her body. Gima frowned in frustration and looked at the pier's floor. To her pleasure, flesh crimson blood covered the area where Ranka stood a moment ago. She turned to Aoi and ran into his arms. "Good job, honey." They kissed each other passionately, while everyone continued to look for Ranka's body. She broke off the kissed and waved her hand to stop the crew's search. "I would love to see her dead body but this shipment must not be late or Cait Sith will not be happy." She wrapped her hand around Aoi's waist, while Aoi nuzzled her hair with a smile on his face. "Sail on with the shipment." The crew nodded their heads and a few minutes later, the ship sailed away from the pier and dissappeared into the darkness of the night. They were about to leave when Gima turned to look at the young man that managed to capture Ranka. She silently noted his long black hair that was tied into a ponytail. His green eyes looked at her steadily as she observed his handsome face. Although a light scar ran across his right cheek, Gima noted that he was indeed a handsome man. "What is your name," she called out to the young man.

  


"Duo," he replied bluntly. He continued to look at her as she looked at his slightly grown mustache. She smiled and nodded her head.

  


"I remember. The man that was sent here by Genzou, Genji, and Genta." She waved her hand and headed back to the car with Aoi's hand draped around her. "Tell your masters that I will see them later." Duo nodded his head. With that said, Gima and Aoi left the pier. The crews have already scattered, but before they did, Duo stopped his partner for this trade and took Ranka's gun from him. Duo gave one last glance at the ocean before he walked back to the parking lot and jumped on his motorcycle. He quickly speed away. The pier reverted back to its silent self. However, that silence became disrupted when Ichiro stood up from his hiding place. Tears streaked down his face when he ran down the pier.

  


"Ranka!" Ichiro kneeled down at the place where Ranka just disappeared. "Ranka!!" He silent cursed himself for doing nothing when he saw Ranka being dragged off by Duo. "Ranka!" Although he knew that Ranka was wearing a bulletproof vest, the blood on the pier threw all of his worries into chaos. "Please answer me, Ranka! Ran..." He stopped his shouting when he heard a muffled cried. Ichiro looked downward and cursed when he didn't saw anyone. He took a miniature flashlight from his pocked and flashed it on the ocean surface. He was about to panic when he heard the sound coming from right under the pier. He quickly bent downward and looked down the pier. His face lifted into relief when he saw Ranka hiding behind some poles of wood. "Ranka, thank god you are alright." To his surprise, tears flowed down from Ranka's face as she started to cry. Ichiro shook his head and reached out his hand to Ranka. She silently took it and he pulled her up. Wrapping his arms around her, he realized that nothing was alright. "Damn you, Aoi," Ichiro growled angrily.

  


"I wouldn't curse him so fast if I were you." Ichiro and Ranka looked up with surprise when they heard a voice coming from the shadow. Ichiro quickly pulled out his gun and almost fired when the figure appeared before them.

  


"Larva?!"

  


***That night at Aoi's Dojo***

  


"ARGHHH!!! I've lost again!" Spartoi tossed the cards in his hand on the card table with great frustration. "How lucky can you get?!"

  


"As lucky as the cards want me to," said Lemures as he happily gathered the cards on the table. "Another round?"

  


"Nah," said Spartoi, shaking his head. "I can't afford to lose anymore."

  


"What," asked Lemures in confusion. "We are not betting on anything."

  


"I know, but my pride is at stake. I've lost enough of it already." Spartoi sighed and turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Damn...it is so boring over here. Aoi is working late and Lemunia is off courting Carlua. Why the heck do I have to be stuck with you?!"

  


"Gee...I suddenly feel really wanted," Lemures said dryly. He placed the cards on the table just when the phone rang. Before he could reach for it, Spartoi already took the reciever in his hand.

  


"Hello," greeted Spartoi. Lemures started to place the cards back into the box, when Spartoi cursed.

  


"What is..." Lemures question was cut off when Spartoi slammed the receiver down back on the telephone handle.

  


"We got to get the hell out of here," said Spartoi, while he yanked Lemures up on his feet.

  


Duo watched the dojo quietly and took out the remote control. Without any hesitation, he pressed the button. The birds and animals of the forest were rudely awakened when the dojo exploded on this clear night sky. Duo watched the huge bon fire that burned before him. He smiled and silently noted that no one had escape.

  


***The Next Morning***

  


Van was enjoying his nice hot coffee when the door to his office violently slammed right open. He jumped up in surprise when the wall in his office shook viciously. "Thank god my coffee was on the table," he thought to himself. "The last thing I want is a damn burn the first thing in the morning." He quickly looked upward and planned to give that person a piece of his mind, when he saw Ranka glaring at him. "Ranka," he said softly. Somehow, from the way she looked at him, his throat felt as dry as the Sahara desert.

  


Ranka slowly slid her hand away from his door and stalked into his office. She turned around and glared at the people who were observing this scene with great curiosity. They instantly continued on with their work when they caught Ranka's glare. As far as they knew, the last thing they wanted to be was to be in Van's shoe. Ranka turned back to Van and slammed the door shut behind her. She ignored the little jump that Van gave when she closed the door. Van watched her nervously as she sat down across him.

  


"What do you...?" Ranka raise her hand to cut him off.

  


"From now on, I will be living in the conference room that is next to your office. That is all I have to say," Ranka said smoothly. She stood up and turned to walk away leaving a befuddled Van on his chair. She touched the handle of the door and before she opened it, she turned to look at Van one last time. "That is what you get for not telling me that Aoi was working undercover." She gave him a smile that can rival Miyu's smile. "I'll let you go easily this time, but next time don't try the same trick." Van stared at her with his mouth hanging wide opened. She opened the door and closed it softly when she left his office. "That should keep him thinking for a while," Ranka thought to herself. Without delay she turned to the conference door and opened the door to it.

  


"Ranka," said Ichiro, standing up from his chair to greet her. Ranka smiled at him and looked at the rest of the people that are in the room. "How did it went?"

  


"I think he would want a report from you," Ranka said to Larva.

  


"It's expected," said Larva. "He would like to have a full report from each one of us."

  


"No kidding," yawned Spartoi. He grimaced in pain when he tried to stand up. "Damn, I think I hurt my back for sleeping in this chair for the whole night." He looked at Lemures and shook him lightly. "Hey, wake up."

  


"I'm awake," Lemures said sleepily. He popped open one eye and yawned. "Remind me to kill Aoi once this thing is over."

  


"I'll let you have him once I am finish with him," said Ranka. "But now, I would like to have some answer. Larva?"

  


Larva silently sat down on the chair. His hand unconsciously went to Miyu's ribbon and started to play with it. "When the Quarl moved back to Japan, Aoi was immediately assigned to be an undercover agent for our department. I was informed about this decision when I was in America. Van and the head of our department have decided to give me this confidential information because I have knowledge of the Quarl's operation."

  


"Shortly after Larva left, our department assigned Spartoi and I to assist the Japanese police force with this problem," said Lemures. "Since Spartoi and I have been working with Larva, while he was working undercover, we also know how Quarl operates." He took out his gun and placed it on the table. "How else could we carry around our gun so freely?"

  


But I thought that you came here for Carlua," said Ichiro. Spartoi stood up slowly and rubbed his back. He glared at Ranka, Ichiro, and Lemures when they started to laugh. Even Larva spared him a smile. "When is the baby coming?"

  


"Shut up," Spartoi growled. "Anyways, we did came here to look for Carlua once we discover that she have disappeared. But our primary duty is to come here and help Larva and Aoi with the case."

  


Ranka nodded her head thoughtfully as she sat on the table. "And they intentionally send me to investigate Aoi because they want to make the Quarl believe that Aoi is loyal to the Quarl." She smiled a little bit. "What better way to show his loyalty than to have him kill his best friend?"

  


"Wrong," said Larva, while looking Ranka right in the eye. "What better way there is than to have him betray the person or reason that drives him to be a great cop?" A flush of redness appeared on Ranka's face when she caught on to Larva's hint. Larva ignored the looks that Spartoi, Lemures, and Ichiro were passing on to him and Ranka. "But Ranka and Ichiro weren't suppose to appear last night." He looked at Ranka and shook his head. "According to your order, your investigation on Aoi is not supposed to start till next week." He took out a file and placed it on the table. "We already planed what steps you are suppose to take for the investigation. What we didn't expect was for you show up yesterday night." He leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "Do you know your action destroy all of our hard work?"

  


"We still accomplish your objective," Ranka said dryly.

  


"Yes, you did," Larva agreed grimly. "But you also put yourself out of commission. In order to protect Aoi and yourself, you will have to remain dead. You cannot show yourself to the public until Aoi is safety back in our department."

  


"How can you be sure this department is safe," asked Ichiro. "Everyone in our department knows that Ranka is alive because they see her walking around today. What if they are spies?"

  


"I will be safe," Ranka assured him. "Larva wouldn't let me walk around freely if he isn't sure they are not spies. I believe our department head have done a full investigation on everyone of them, right?" Larva nodded his head. She sighed. "I do feel horrible that sensei's dojo was blown up."

  


"Yeah," said Lemures. "I enjoyed living there. But...Aoi knew the Quarl will blew up his house once his identity as a spy is discovered by us. So, he instructed Spartoi and I to evacuate the house once we receive a call from one of the colleagues."

  


"He also instructed us to place a bag that contain all of our identity near the door in case this happen," said Spartoi. "Yesterday night, we got a call from someone, that was instructed by Aoi, to tell us to evacuate the house. He told us that the Quarl have send a member of their team, and ordered them to kill any people that escape from the house. So, Aoi told that person to tell us to escape through the underground passage that is located at the middle of the fighting arena. Lemures and I managed to reach there in time and hid in there before the explosion." He looked at Ranka, Ichiro, and Larva and shrugged his shoulder. "The passage led us out to the middle of the forest and well...that's when we saw you waiting for us out in the forest. And...you know the rest of the story."

  


Lemures shifted from his seat and looked at Larva. "By the way, how is Lemunia?"

  


"He is informed," said Larva. He stood up from his chair and headed for the door. "From now on, you, Spartoi, and Ranka will be living in this conference room. Since you are not allowed to move around freely, you will have to help us with our paper works. Ichiro and I are assigned to provide you with your daily supply."

  


"Yeah sure," said Spartoi as Larva opened the door to leave. "I don't mind sharing my room with a beautiful looking girl." He gave Ranka a smile, while she gave him a disgusted look. Lemures sighed and shook his head.

  


"Make a move and you'll be flying out of this window in a second," warned Ichiro. "She can be as tough as Miyu when it comes down to it." He stood up to leave but before he did, he gave one last pat on Ranka's shoulder. Ranka slightly nodded her head and looked at him as he and Larva walked out of the door. She winced slightly when she lifted up her left arm. With her right hand, she tenderly touched the gash she received from yesterday night. Although Aoi's bullet was buried within her vest, her captor managed to slash her lower arm deeply. Ranka smiled slight when she recalled how surprised Ichiro looked when he discovered his shirt was covered with blood. But after that, she didn't remember anything because the next thing she knew, she had fainted. When she woke up, Spartoi and Lemures were already with them. It didn't take her long to discover that Larva helped her bandage her wound.

  


Ranka slid off the table and sat on one of the chair. She looked across her and saw Spartoi lying on the table with his eyes closed. Next to him sat Lemures, with his eyes closed. She leaned back on her chair and looked up to the ceiling. "Aoi," she thought. Unconsciously she lifted her hand to the area where Aoi had shot her and remembered what Larva told her before she went to sleep.

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Ranka." Ranka stopped by the doorway to the conference room and turned around to face Larva. Her hand rested lightly on the door. "Aoi knew that Ichiro gave that bullet proof vest to you. If he didn't knew, he wouldn't have shot you."_

  


_"I know," Ranka replied. "I know that he knew I was wearing a bullet proof vest but..."_

  


_"I was in the locker room before you and Ichiro came in. I was supposed to meet Aoi over there and discuss about tonight's procedures. When neither one of you noticed that I was there, I just remain where I was at."_

  


_"You were thinking about Miyu, weren't you?" A flash of sadness that appeared in his eyes confirmed her answer._

  


_"Aoi opened the door during your conversation," continued Larva in a monotone. "He over heard your conversation and left before you can discover him. After you two have left, he came back and we both talked about tonight's trade."_

  


_Ranka nodded her head and rose up one of her eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this?" Larva touched Miyu's ribbon and turned away from her._

  


_"Good night."_

  


_"Good night, Larva." Without a glance, Larva left her standing at the doorway by herself. She smiled and shook her head. "Thank you, Larva."_

  


_*Flashback*_

  


Ranka sighed and closed her eyes. "Aoi, I am going to kill you for this," she thought to herself. "But until then, you better keep yourself safe."

  
  


***Somewhere***

  


"Ami," a middle age woman called out as she slid the front door of the house open. She lifted up the skirt of her one two-layer kimono and stepped into her house before closing the door behind her. "Amy?" Her beautiful black eyes scanned around the living room, while she took off her pair of shoe near the doorway. A smile lifted up on her face when she heard her daughter running toward her from the kitchen.

  


"Mother," said the young teenager as she scrambled toward her mother. "How was the harvest today?" She kneeled down on her knee and gathered the basket of fish that her mother brought in. Her round brown eyes were filled with curiosity as she waited for her mother to enter the living room.

  


"We managed to catch a lot of fish today," said Ami's mother, stepping into the living room. She gently touched Ami's messy hair and shook her head with a smile. "And what have you been doing? You look like a mess." Ami blushed from embarrassment before she went to put the fishes in the kitchen. She quickly appeared back into the living room with a cup of tea. Her mother smiled when Ami presented the tea to her.

  


"I was cleaning up the house, mother," said Ami as she kneeled down beside her mother. Her hands unconsciously went up to her long brown hair and tried to straighten them.

  


"How is our guest," asked her mother, while taking a sip from her cup of tea.

  


"She is still sleeping," replied Ami. Her mother sighed and stood up from the tea table.

  


"She's been sleeping for three days already." Ami watched in silence when her mother walked up to the guest room. Her mother slid open the old wooden door to the guest room and looked inside. "I wonder is she okay."

  


Ami quickly stood up and walked up to her mother. "Father said that she is fine."

  


"We should have sent her to the city right when we first found her," her mother said regretfully. She turned to look at her daughter and shook her head sadly. "But if he did, then there wouldn't be anyone here to protect you." Ami gloomly looked down on the floor. "And if we did, those three brother's spies are guarding the entrance to the village and they won't let the poor girl go once they discover her." She sighed and walked into the guest room. The candles on the table dimly lit the room. Ami watched in silence as her mother approached the girl that laid on the guest bed. When her mother reached there, she softly placed her hand on top of the girl's forehead. She smiled slightly when she realized the girl's fever had disappeared. She turned to leave when the girl's eyes started to flutter. A moan escaped from her mouth as she started to return back to the conscious state. "Ami." Ami straighten up with alertness and noticed her mother calling out to her. "Go and get some water for the girl." Ami nodded her head and disappear from the room. Meanwhile, her mother kneeled down beside the girl's bed and looked at her. She smiled slightly when the girl's eyelid started to flutter open to reveal two hazy brown eyes. The girl gaze past her like she wasn't there. With two blink of her eyes, the guest was finally able to focus her eyes on her surrounding. With a turned of her head, her eyes show no emotion when she saw a lady looking at her. She opened her mouth to speak but end up coughing.

  


"Don't speak now," said Ami's mother in a tender voice. "You've just woke up and your throat must be dry. I've already asked my daughter to get some water for you." Right in cue, Ami ran into the room with a cool glass of water. She helped her mother shift the girl upward and poured the water into the girl's mouth. For the first two gulps, the girl choked and spited out the water. Afterward, she was able to drain the whole cup of water. Ami took the glassed of water away from her mother hand, and her mother slowly laid the girl back on the bed.

  


"Where am I," asked the girl. Her eyes roamed between the mother and daughter. Her voice was rasped and she coughed out her question.

  


"Don't worry about that," said the mother. "You need to rest right now." The girl nodded her head and slowly closed her eyes. Ami and her mother shared a glance before the silently headed out the door. They were about to close the door when the girl called out to them.

  


"Thank you." Ami and her mother smiled and closed the door behind them.

  


***That night***

  


Ami slid the door open to the guest room and quietly stepped inside. She took out a new candle from her kimono and lit it. As she replaced the old candle with the new one, the girl on the bed started to stir. Ami quickly blew out the old candle and walked up to the girl on the bed. "Hi," said Ami when the girl opened her eyes and focused them on Ami. The girl tried to say something but coughed instead. Ami promptly went to the table and poured a glass of water. She lifted the girl's upper body upward a little bit so that she could drink the water. After the girl drained the cup of water, Ami slowly lower the girl down to the bed. "Do you want anymore?" The girl shook her head, so Ami went and placed the glass of water back at the table. "You must be hungry. I'll go get you some porridge." With that said, Ami left the room, leaving the girl by herself.

  


"Where am I," thought the girl, looking and observing the old wooden room around her. She tried to sit up but the throbbing pain from her left arm caused her to collapse back downward. She groaned and lifted her right arm to touch her forehead. She looked at her arm with amusement when she noticed how much bruises and cuts she had on her arm. "Hm...I looked like a mummy." She sighed and closed her eyes. "But I got lucky I guess. I was really lucky to survive that fall." Her eyes snapped open when Ami entered the room. With a weak little smile, Ami walked up to the girl and lifted her upward again. It took half an hour to feed the girl and when Ami accomplished this task, she went out of the room to put the empty bowl into the washing pail. The girl waited quietly for Ami to come back. She didn't need to wait that long for her to return. Ami shyly stepped into the room and sat down on the chair near the table.

  


"Is...is there anything I can get for you," asked Ami. The girl shook her head.

  


"Where am I," asked the girl in a steady voice.

  


"You are in my village...actually, my father's village," Ami said with a smile. The girl nodded her head with her eyes closed. For a moment, silence filled the room and Ami thought the girl must have drifted off to sleep. She stood up to leave but the girl opened her eyes again.

  


"I'm sorry," said the girl in a calm tone. "I was gathering my thought." She looked at Ami with a clear and steady gaze. Ami was taken aback for a moment when she saw that gaze. "Can you tell me where is this village located at?"

  


"Uhmm...we are just a small village. The nearest city is about half a day or a day away." Ami sat down and looked at the girl. "You really recover fast." The girl smiled.

  


"Mentally, yes. But physically...that is another question. I would like to know whether your calculation is based on the movement of a car or a cart?"

  


"We...we hardly own a car over here. All of the houses around here don't even have electricity. We mostly use cart or carriage to move around."

  


The girl nodded her head. "So...if it takes a carriage to go to a city within one day, then it should take a car approximately eight hours, max." said the girl to herself. "What is the city called?"

  


"I think it is called Chiba." The girl's eyes widen when she heard the city name.

  


"So...I drifted that far. It is not that far from Tokyo." Ami leaned forward and looked at the girl with curiosity.

  


"Are you from Tokyo," asked Ami. The girl nodded her head. "Then how did you got here? I mean...why were in drifting in the middle of Tokyo Bay?"

  


"It's a long story," said the girl with a small groan. Ami quickly went to her side.

  


"If you don't want to talk about it, it is alright." The girl looked at Ami and gave her a small smile.

  


"You have the right to know," she said simply. "But...right now, I am not in the right condition to talk. I'll tell you once I get better."

  


"Alright," said Ami as she stood up from the chair. "You should rest now. I'll come back tomorrow."

  


"Thank you, Ami." Ami looked at the girl in surprise when she called out her name. The girl noticed the confusion in Ami's eyes. "I heard your mother called you by that name."

  


"Oh." Ami giggled a little bit before she headed for the door. "You're welcome...uh..."

  


"Miyu. Yamano Miyu."

  


"Alright, Miyu," said Ami as she slid the door open. "Good night."

  


Miyu watched Ami when she stepped out of the room and closed the door. She closed her eyes but the throbbing pain from her left shoulder prevented her from falling asleep. "I must have knocked my joint out of the socket," Miyu thought, while trying to ignore the pain. A small smile drifted across her face. "I'm alive...and it wasn't easy."

  


_*Flashback*_

  


_"Yui...Larva..." These were the first thoughts that appeared in her head when her hand slipped from Larva's desperate grip. She could see Larva staring back at her in disbelief, with his hand reaching out toward her. A smile drifted on her face as she looked at him. "Live." Miyu quickly turned away from them and stared death right in the eye. Without blinking her eyes or looking away, she plunged deep into the water. The salt water stung her eyes while she waited for the sharp rocks to tear her body apart. However to her surprise, there were no rocks to greet her when she had hit the ocean. Before she could get over her initial shock, the wave pushed her toward the side of the cliff and crushed her against it. A jab of pain shot through her body when a sharp rock puncture through her coat and embedded itself into her bulletproof vest. Before Miyu could move away from the rock, the under current of the ocean proceeded to drag her out to the ocean._

  


_Realizing she was lucky to be alive, Miyu relaxed her body and allow the current to draw her out to the ocean. She knew that if she were to fight the current, she would only be wasting her energy. Miyu silently noted that she was lucky to fall into a part of the ocean where the rocks in the cliff have already been eroded by the ocean. She also knew that she was lucky to land in the water just right when the tide was coming in. Because of that, the blood on her clothes were quickly washed away and distributed to the area that surrounded her. As these things flashed through her mind, Miyu knew that fate have given her another chance to live. A smile appeared on her face when she realized the irony of her thought. She never did believe in fate and now...Miyu pushed herself upward and toward the surface of the water. After taking a deep breath, she allowed the current to pulled her downward and out to the ocean. She shivered slightly as the dark cold water pulled her in all different directions. Rocks ripped her pants and tear at her bulletproof vest and thin coat as she drifted outward. Her body was bruised from all of the contacts that she made with the rocks. But Miyu continued to struggle for her life as she struggled to suppress her pain and pulled herself upward to the surface in order to breathe before the current dragged her back downward. Miyu didn't knew how long she have drifted but by the time the current started to weaken, her body throbbed with pain. She slowly pushed herself upward and headed for the surface, when something grabbed her coat and yanked it off of her. Her body spun out of control and was thrown across the ocean._

  


_Air escaped from Miyu's mouth when her left shoulder rammed into something hard. Her vision threaten to disappear. She forced her right arm to move and used her pair of legs to propel herself toward the surface. Her left arm was knocked out of its socket and hanged limply by her side. Her head broke the surface of the water. Miyu was so focused on keeping herself up float that she fail to hear the voices that were floating right beside her._

  


_"What was that," someone asked alamingly. "Did a fish just hit our boat?" Miyu silently noted the sound of footsteps near her and she closed her eyes. A loud cried rang out and someone screamed frantically._

  


_"A girl! There is a girl in the middle of the ocean!" Miyu's closed her eyes when someone plunged down to the ocean and swam toward her. A pair of hand grabbed her and a moan escaped her mouth when that person touched her left shoulder. She let darkness claimed her when the pain became too unbearable._

  


_*End of Flashback*_

  


Miyu shook her head and relaxed herself when sleep started to consume her. Before she lost herself to unconscious, a thought drifted into her mind. "The Quarl is not going to like this. Not at all."

  


******

  


For the next three days, Ami watched over Miyu. Every time that Ami went into Miyu's room, Miyu would always smiled and closed her eyes, while lying on her bed. She listened intently as Ami told her about her life. To Ami's disappointment, Miyu mostly remained silence for these past few days. The only time that Miyu ever talk was when Ami asked her about the accident again.

  


"I don't remember much," said Miyu as she told Ami about her story. At that time, Ami would listen carefully but after that, she didn't say a word. On the fourth day, Ami woke up like always. She quickly slipped on her simple purple kimono and slid opened her door. To her surprise, she found Miyu sitting near the table, talking to her father. Miyu looked up when Ami came into the room. She gave Ami a little smile and thanked Ami's mother when she handed Miyu a cup of tea.

  


"Come over here, Ami," said Ami's mother as she sat down next to her husband. Ami nodded her head and walked up to Miyu. She sat down next to Miyu and looked at her.

  


"Are you alright, Miyu," asked Ami. Miyu sipped her tea and placed her cup of tea back on the table.

  


"Yes, I am fine," said Miyu. She stood up and to Ami's surprise, her legs steadily supporting her. Her father and mother widen their eyes when Miyu bowed down respectfully to them. "I thank you for rescuing me and taking care of me. Because of your help, I have regain back my health."

  


"Oh...you don't have to be so formal," said Ami's mother with a smile. She stood up and pushed Miyu lightly back on the floor. "Rest and don't stand up. You just barely gain back your strength."

  


"Thank you," said Miyu, sitting back down on the floor. "However, I gained back my strength for the last two days. Thanks to Ami's care, I am able to recover rapidly." Miyu sent Ami a little smile of gratitude. "However...I am sorry to admit but...I don't know the name of my saviors."

  


Ami's father laughed out loud and shook his head. "It is rare to see a young girl with good manner." He bowed to her and lifted his hand to Ami's mother. "She is Sota Kiko and I am Sota Tako."

  


"It's nice to meet you Mr. Sato and Mrs. Sato," said Miyu with a bow. "My name is Yamano Miyu. I am a detective." Miyu's eyes widen when Ami, Mr. Sato, and Mrs. Sato jumped up in shock. Before she knew it, Mrs. Sato ran up to Ami and pulled her away from Miyu. They looked at Miyu with terror in their eyes. Miyu stood up calmly and looked at them.

  


"Don't take my daughter," Mrs. Sato begged, hugging Ami tightly to her. "Please don't take my daughter!" Tears flowed down her face as Mr. Sato stood protectively over them. He grabbed a rod and pointed it at Miyu.

  


"Get out! Get out of my house," growled Mr. Sato. "I am not afraid of you! I am not going to give my daughter to you. If you want my daughter, you will have to go through me!" Miyu stood in silence as she looked at that middle age man, woman, and Ami. She slowly lowered herself back on the floor and placed her hand on the cup. "Get out!"

  


Miyu shook her head. "If you assault a police man, you are liable to be thrown into jail."

  


"You can't scared me with those word," sneered Tako.

  


Miyu looked him clearly in the eye. "I am not trying to scare you," she said calmly. "I am telling you the truth." She turned her gaze toward the cup of tea and started to play with it. "However, before you hit me, I want to know a few things." She then looked at Tako and gave him a cold smile. "Then I will decide whether I will take your daughter or not." With a scream, Tako charged toward her with the wooden rod. Miyu quickly jumped up on her feet and evaded the rod easily. As Tako brought the rod down on Miyu's head, Miyu lifted one of hand upward and blocked the hit. She grabbed hold of the rod and pulled it toward her. The sudden forward momentum caused Tako to lose his balance and tumbled forward. With a hard push, she shoved Tako on the chest and caused him to stumbled backward. The rod left his hand and he landed on the floor. Mrs. Sato and Ami rushed to him, while looking at Miyu with fear in their eyes.

  


"Don't hurt my husband," cried Mrs. Sato. "Please don't hurt my husband." Miyu placed the rod down beside her.

  


"I am not going to hurt him," Miyu said calmly. A wave of exhaustion flashed over her but she ignored it. Unconsciously, she used the rod beside her to support her weight. "I just want some answers to my questions."

  


"What do you want to know," asked Ami in a timid voice. Miyu looked at her with coldness in her eyes.

  


"I want to know, have you committed a crime. Have you committed a crime against the law?"

  


Ami looked shock for a while but she quickly shook her head. Tears fell down on her face as she hugged her father. "I haven't committed any crime. I didn't do anything against the law." Miyu nodded her head and sat down on the floor. She took up the rod and to their surprise, she tossed it softly toward Tako. Tako looked at the rod in daze when Miyu took the cup of tea in her hand. Her hand shook for a moment but it quickly regained its steadiness.

  


"Then I have no intention of arresting your daughter," said Miyu. She smiled at them and placed the cup of tea back on the table after she took a sip of it. "I am sorry for the misunderstanding. However, it seems like you have a very bad experience with the police. Now...would you tell me why are the policemen taking the girls in your village? Also, why have the police been threatening you with jail? Have you been assaulting the police?" Miyu frowned and shook her head. "No...let me rephrase the question. What did the police do to make you want to assault them?"

  


"Ha...hahaha," laughed Mr. Sota when he heard Miyu's questions. "Why are you asking all these questions," he snarled. "You know why!" Miyu's face remained expressionless as she looked at them. Mrs. Sato left her husband's side and grabbed Miyu by her kimono.

  


"Are you really not going to arrest Ami," asked Mrs. Sato in a hopeful tone. "Are you really not going to take her away?"

  


Miyu smiled and nodded her head. "If Ami haven't committed any crime, then I don't have any reason to take her away."

  


"Thank you," said Mrs. Sato. "Thank you so much." Relief appeared on her face. It was immediately replaced with horror when she remembered something. "But you won't tell Genzou, Genji, or Genta about it, would you? You wouldn't tell the other policemen about my daughter will you?"

  


"I have to fly back to Tokyo if I am to ever tell my comrade about it," said Miyu. She noticed they were looking at her in confusion. "Since you didn't seem eager to answer my other questions, then can you tell me who are Genzou, Genji, and Genta?"

  


"Tokyo," said Tako in bewilderment. He stood up slowly on his feet. He pulled his wife softly away from Miyu and held on to his daughter's hand. "You are from Tokyo? You are not a cop from our neighborhood village?"

  


"No," said Miyu. "I am from Tokyo police department. I work in the drug department."

  


Ami and Mrs. Sato sighed in relief but Mr. Sato was still skeptic about it. "How can I be sure you are telling the truth?"

  


"Do you have my wallet?" Mr. Sato nodded his head. He looked at Ami and she went to a nearby cabinet. She returned back with a basket. In the basket were a wallet, her cell phone, and a container that held a pair of contact lens. Ami handed the item to Miyu and Miyu silently opened her wallet. She frowned when she looked inside. The sea water ruined all of her identifications. She smiled slightly when she pulled out her ID. "At least my picture on my ID is recognizable," she thought to herself. However, the other information was smeared. She tossed her ID on the table and took out the metal badge that was clipped in her wallet. Miyu placed it next to her ID. Mr. Sato took it in his hand and looked at it. He slowly handed them back to Miyu.

  


"I'm sorry," said Mr. Sato, while bowing his head down to Miyu. "I was so scared that you were one of them. Ever since those three brothers came here, our girls are never safe."

  


"Three brothers," Miyu repeated as she put her badge back into her wallet. Miyu silently nodded her head in understanding. "So the cops are receiving bribes from them. And as an exchange for the extra money, the cops are providing your village girls to the three brothers."

  


"That's right," said Mr. Sato bitterly. He slammed his fist on the floor. "But we don't have any proof. We don't have anything we can do against them." Silence filled the room while Miyu waited for him to continue on with his story. Ami sat near her with her mother's hand tightly secured on her arm. She quickly stood up when she noticed the tea in Miyu's cup was almost gone. Noiselessly, Mrs. Sato scurried back into the kitchen to get the kettle of tea. Miyu expressed her gratitude with a nod of her head when Mrs. Sato poured a new batch of hot tea into her cup. She gave Miyu a gentle smile before settling back down with a cup of tea of her own. Miyu softly took Ami and Mr. Sato's cup and gave it to them. Ami silently thank her, while Mr. Sato looked at her with a stun expression on his face.

  


"Continue."

  


Mr. Sato took the cup from Miyu and smiled at her. He sat back down in comfort and took a sip of his tea. Before Mr. Sato could protest, Miyu lifted up the teakettle and poured some tea into their partially full cup. Mr. Sato nodded his head with approval. "Thank you Miss. Yamano."

  


"Miyu," she said cutting him off.

  


"Alright, Miyu," said Mr. Sato. "There is no need to hide anything from you. You have the right to know everything. And perhaps, you might be able to help our village." He looked hopefully at Miyu but her blank gaze gave him no reassurance. "Very well, then. About six months ago, the three brothers came to our village and asked to buy one of the land near the pier. That time, my wife and my daughter were visiting our neighbor so they didn't saw her. They came to see me because I am the village leader and all of the land that were to be sold and traded must have my approval." He sighed and shook his head. "If I didn't listen to them and if I just refused them, we wouldn't be like we are now." Ami silently took her father's hand to comfort him. Miyu silently sipped the tea. Although she knew that the three brothers were bound to find a way to own the property whether Mr. Sato agreed to it or not, she didn't say anything to comfort him. This was not the time for sympathy and finding people to blame. The most important thing was finding the solution to the problem and that was what Miyu strongly believed the people in this village really need.

  


Mr. Sato silently patted his daughter hand and continued on with his story. "After they got their property, they leveled the field and built a warehouse and mansion near the pier. The buildings finished in a miraculous rate. It only took four months for the construction workers to finish the job. At first, our villagers were uncomfortable with idea of having those two things built over there but since it was their property, we voted and decided it was not that harmless to our village. Their views changed drastically when the three brothers started to offer jobs to the villagers." He sighed and looked around him. He eyes took in the shabby wooden house that his family was currently presiding. "Although we get most of our money from fishing and are able to maintain a stable life, there are some of us that aren't satisfy with the condition that they were living in. So the opportunity for a new job quickly caught their attention. However, I soon suspected that something is wrong with it because they only hired girls and not men. The villagers were in a uproar when they discovered that the men were not being hired and demanded for a reason."

  


"So they told the villagers that they weren't hiring the men because you needed their help for fishing," continued Miyu. "Whereas, the girls and the women were not really that needed. The three brothers were just trying to maximize the villager's income by maintaining the same amount of fish being caught and having the girls go earn money instead of sitting at home." Mr. Sato looked at her with surprised when Miyu correctly predicted what the brothers told them. "A typical answer and a typical lie."

  


"Yes," confirmed Mr. Sato. "A straight out lie. And I knew something was strange with their explanation. I tried to warn the villagers about it but the villagers were all taken in with their lies and greed." He drained his tea and Miyu poured him some more. Ami stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab some food. "So the first batch of girl, consisting of twenty young ladies, left the village a month ago. The job required them to go to the city and worked in the factor over there. The products that they produced would then be moved into this warehouse and shipped off to other cities. For the first two weeks, the brothers delivered the girl's payment to the family. So the villagers were happy and more girls wanted to sign up for some future job. But on the middle of the third week, a villager was walking around the village at the middle of the night and discovered Mia's dead body."

  


"She was one of the girl that went to the city to work," Mrs. Sato explained in a quiet tone.

  


"Yes," said Mr. Sato. "And it surprised the whole village to find her there. What surprised us more was how we found her. Her body was covered with bruised and she had her front part of her kimono ripped apart, revealing her skins to us."

  


"Raped," Miyu said bluntly. "How was she killed?"

  


"She was strangled. But yes, you were right. She was raped and dumped over there." He smiled at Ami when she walked in with a plate of sushi, four bowls, some small sauce dish, a bottle of soy sauce, a plate of wasabi, and four pairs of chopsticks. She placed them down and went back into the kitchen and came back with four bowls of miso soups. They each politely said their thanks and settled down to eat. "We didn't suspect the brothers at first because the police claimed that Mia was raped and killed when she went back this night to visit her family. Their deduction was confirmed when a cop said he saw her and ignored her. So we left the investigation to them but before the third week was over, Qin, another girl that was sent away, came pounding at her father's door in the middle of the night. When her father opened the door, Qin was already lying on the floor with a huge wound on her chest. But before she died, she told her father that it was the three brother's doing." He popped a sushi into his mouth and chew silently. "So Qin's father came to me and we went to the nearest police department, which was located in the next village, and reported the problem to them. But after a few days, a person came in and admit he was the killer of Qin."

  


"A cover-up," said Miyu. "Nice move."

  


"Of course Qin's father and I knew that it was the three brothers but the cops seem to be helping the brothers," Mr. Sato growled. "But this managed to make the rest of the villagers suspect the brother's intention and they started to demand to see their daughters." He shook his head. "But the brothers told them that they don't have a clue to where the girls whereabouts because they quitted their job in the beginning of the third week. They even have the notices that the girls gave them when they quitted the job. But the villagers were not settle and there were nothing they could do when the brothers claimed once they have quitted, the ladies were not under their supervision."

  


"When the rest of the villagers tried to revolt against the brothers, the cops stopped them," Mrs. Sato continued. "But Qin's father didn't gave up. He knew that the three brothers were the cause of Qin's death and he wanted to go to Tokyo to ask for their help." The piece of sushi that was in his chopstick fell into his bowl. "I haven't heard from him since he had left the village. But after he left, Sai, another of the girls that wwere missing, was found dead in an alley."

  


"That was when the police came," Mrs. Sato said in her trembling voice. Her hands quivered as she held her cup of tea.

  


"They started to surround the village and placed guards at the entrance of our village," continued Mr. Sato. "They told us that they are placing a quarantine on our village until they find the murderer."

  


"Imprisonment," Miyu said flatly. "Illegal imprisonment. I believe they didn't provide any government agreement that justify their action, did they?" Miyu placed her bowl on the ground and placed the pair of chopsticks on top of it as she waited for their answer. She looked at them as they sat there in silence. "I suspect as much. Continue."

  


"After locking us up over here, the police started to arrest some of our villagers and question them," continued Mr. Sato. "At first, it seems like they are abiding by the law but I started to notice that they tend to keep the girls in prison and releasing back the men in our village. When I asked the police why they were keeping the girls in prison, they said that they were the most likely suspects. I didn't believe them. I knew they were up to something." He nodded his head toward Ami and placed his finished bowl down on the floor. Ami gathered the finished dishes and silently walked back to the kitchen. "But the real problem didn't occur when Xen, one of my helper, decided to visit his daughter in the prison and discovered that she was missing. When the police weren't able to show his daughter to him, he started to scream and attacked the police. The police arrested him. When Xen's daughter was found in the street a few days later and with the same symptoms as the first two victims, the rest of the villagers started to riot. The police were able to subdue them and as a consequence for their rioting, the police end up capturing more of the girls in our village." He shook his head sadly. "That was their intention all along. They intentionally made us go against them so they have an excuse to capture the girls within the village. As long as we live in this village, everyone is bound to be a suspect and are likely to be put into prison."

  


"If we attack the police, they would end up taking our girls and lock them in prison," said Mrs. Sato. "But if we don't do anything, they will still take our girls and accuse them for murder. There are hardly any girls in our village now. None of the girls ever came back." Tears well up in her eyes. "And the only time we see them is when their dead bodies are found in the street." She wiped the tears in her eyes. Ami walked out of the kitchen at this time and hugged her mother. Mrs. Sato looked at Ami and patted her softly on the head. "I am so glad that they never saw Ami, or else they would have taken her away from me right from the beginning. We were lucky to have hide her in here right from the beginning."

  


"That couldn't be the only reason," said Miyu. "If the police were acting like this, they would have barged in here to search for girls. Ami wouldn't be here by now." She turned to look at Mr. Sato. "Why are they afraid of you?"

  


"They aren't afraid of me," said Mr. Sato. "But the three brothers told them to leave me alone because I was the one that sold them the land." He ran his hand through his already thinning hair. "I know that isn't the real reason, but so far they haven't done anything against me. I don't know just what they are thinking." He turned to Miyu and suddenly bowed to her. "Please...if you are able to do anything. Anything. Please help us solve this problem."

  


Miyu thought silently for a moment before nodding her head. "I'll do what I can." Her voice sound strained from weariness. She quickly cleared her throat. "Who revolted?" They looked at her in surprise when she suddenly asked them this question. They gave her a puzzled look. She smiled and shook her head. "Of course..." She chuckled softly and softly mumbled to herself. Ami strained her ear to hear what she had said but she only hear Miyu saying something like 'Larva' and 'old man.' When her amusement passed, Miyu looked at them with the same cool composure she always displayed. "I assumed that all of the police men that didn't take the three brother's bribes were gotten rid of, am I correct?" To confirm her deduction, Mr. Sato nodded his head sadly.

  


He sadly shook his head. "Yes. When they refused to join in with the corruption, the first thing that they did was to contact Chiba's police department." He raised his arm and moved it in one smooth sweeping gesture. "Ami probably told you that we don't have electricity in this village. The only light that we can rely on comes from the sun or the candle that we use at night. Because of this reason, the police station, that looks over this village, is actually located in the next village." He sighed. "No doubt, they are suffering the same problem as we are. Although they have slightly better facility than we do, electricity is still scarce in their village. Only the local store and the police department have access to the phone line. But even then, the phones often disconnect and are constantly out of order. Because of this, the group that refused to join in the corruption failed to contact the Chiba's police force on their first tried." Mr. Sato snorted and bitterly smiled. "Now that I think about it, the corrupted policemen must have either disconnected the phone line or disable it so that the others could not reach Chiba's police force in time. Using this excuse and by keeping watch over the phone line that is placed in the local store, the three brothers and the rest of their followers slowly imprison the rebel group by either implanting drugs in their possession and arresting them for it or accusing them for the murder of the women in our village. Because of this, many of the rebels have switch side and joined with the corruption." He looked at Miyu with a frown on his face. Although her face remained impassive, Miyu was surprised when Mr. Sato moved before her and bowed his head down to the floor.

  


"I'm sorry," he said with his voice slightly muffled by the floor. "Now that I think of it, I have no right to ask you to help us in such a troublesome matter. I will escort you..."

  


"Whether you like it or not," said Miyu cutting him off with a wave of her hand. "I am interested in this case."

  


"But...I have no right to tell you to risk your life for our village," Mr. Sota exclaimed as he raised up his head to look at her.

  


"This matter is not only your village concern. Any crime committed against the law is a concern for every police officer." She leaned forward. "Especially with cases that involve corruption within a police department." She leaned back with a thoughtful expression on her face. "The case shouldn't be hard to prove against them especially when there are so many evidences against them." Miyu looked at him with a slight smile on her face. "And especially with so many witnesses to support the evidences."

  


"But the danger...and...and...how much can one girl do to the three brothers?" He stood up and started to pace around the room. He didn't noticed the slight frown that appeared on Miyu's face when he called her a 'girl.' "Most off our men that have stood against them have failed. Especially...especially when the three brothers have the Quarl to support them. We can't possibly...." He stopped when Miyu suddenly started to giggle. Ami and Mrs. Sota looked at Miyu with an unreadable expression.

  


"The Quarl," Miyu mused. "So they were behind this. I wonder...have they degraded themselves to such lowly stature?" Miyu shook her head slightly and ignored the bewilderness expressions that the three displayed on their faces. "No...that is not their style. Nor are they so sloppy with their work. The three brothers must be doing this on their own." A smile appeared on her face as she stood up and straighten the kimono Ami lended her. "I wonder...I do wonder indeed." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and giggled slightly. A glint of coldness appeared in Miyu's eyes as she continued with her amusement. "But, none the less, the three brothers are still a clue and this place is prefect. Perfect for accomplishing what they do best." Before Mr. Sato could stopped her, she walked up to the window and partially lifted open the curtain. What she saw confirmed her suspicion.

  


"What are you doing," exclaimed Mrs. Sato in panic. She rushed up to Miyu and yanked the curtain away from her hand. "If they saw you...if they saw you."

  


"If they did," said Miyu calmly. "I would go out and give myself to them." The three of them looked at her like she was insane.

  


"How can you say that so simply," said Mr. Sato. "Do you understand the danger I..."

  


"I understand," Miyu said coldly. "I understand perfectly well." She lifted up the sleeves of her kimono and show them her arm. Although she had healed a lot during these past few days, her arm was still tender from the scratches and bruises that she acquired. The rest of her body was not in any better condition. Only her left shoulder seem to be doing fine and recovered significantly well. She noticed the other winced when they looked at her bandaged arm. "I know because the Quarl was the one who did this to me." Ami gasped while her parents looked at her with a stun expression. She smiled slightly.

  


"But...why did they did this to you," asked Ami. Miyu shook her head.

  


"Because they want me to die," Miyu said simply with a unreadable smile on her face. "If the Quarl knew that I am over here, then they will not hesitate to kill you." She started to head back to the door. "I sincerely thank you for saving me. I want to help you with your problem, but this might put you in danger. It would be best if you can just drive me back to the next village and let me called for my family. You've told me that they have restricted the passage of strangers coming into the village and restricted the passage of exiting villagers. However, I do believe you have a method for passing through their security, am I correct?" Mr. Sato nodded his head unconsciously. She smiled at them and bowed her head. "In that case, I will need your help in escorting me out of your village. I will find another mean to get to the next village. Although I am gone...you will be seeing me soon. I will come back and settle this problem with the Quarl. I better start packing right now."

  


"Wait," said Mr. Sato. Miyu turned around and looked backward. He looked at his wife and daughter and sighed. "I'll drive you there tomorrow. I need you to wake up early in the morning. That way, we can go undetected." Miyu nodded her head and walked back into her room. Once the door closed behind her, Mr. Sato turned to his wife and daughter.

  


"Is it going to be safe for Miyu," asked Ami. "Won't they recognize her?"

  


"I will hide her," said Mr. Sato. He touched his wife and patted his daughter affectionately on the head. "But while I am gone, I want you to stay inside. Don't go outside, do you understand." They nodded their head.

  


For the rest of the day, Mr. Sato went out with some of the villager to bring in the catch. Ami and her mother silently cleaned the house. Miyu came out of her room once and politely asked for some rubber band. However, when they told her they didn't have any, she asked for some ribbons instead. After she received them, she just thanked them quietly. She walked back to the table and grabbed her wallet, cell phone, and contact lens before she headed back into her room. After that, Ami attempted to talk to Miyu but she just locked herself in the room. When it was time for lunch, Ami knocked on Miyu's door and placed the food outside. She then went back into the kitchen with her mother. When she returned, the food had disappeared from the doorway.

  


Ami jumped up with happiness when her father came back home with a handful of fish. He gave the fishes to his wife and looked at Miyu's door. He patted his daughter on her shoulder and smiled when Ami told him that Miyu have been staying in there. Ami placed the dinner outside of Miyu's room again but this time, Miyu never did took it. The night past without any special event and Ami gave one last glance at Miyu's door before going back into her room.

  


******

  


Miyu looked at the table in silent contemplation. After talking to the Sota family, she went back in her to do some thinking. "I shouldn't be surprise," thought Miyu. "This is a fishing village so it is not surprising to find it near a shore and near a little pier." She stood up and shifted her sore muscle. She turned to look at the wall. Her eyes seem to gaze through it and focused on the warehouse she saw when she looked outside the window. It was located near the shore and beside it stood a huge mansion. Unsurprisingly, the fancy mansion looked out of place in this small village. "So now they are taking over small villages and using them to store their drugs." She sat back down and her eyes caught the little mirror on the table. "Recognition is inevitable if I keep this look. I guess a disguise is necessary." She looked around her and brushed her loose brown hair away from her face. Her hand stopped in mid-brush and touched her hair softly. "Larva's ribbon." She stood up slowly with her right hand still twirling her hair and walked out of her room.

  


She silently noticed Mr. Sato absence and entered into the kitchen. After asking for some ribbons and receiving them from Mrs. Sato, Miyu was about to head back to her room when her gaze fell upon her wallet, cell phone, and contact lens on the table. She walked up to the table and quickly picked them up. She hurried to her room and closed the door. Miyu placed them on the table and stared at them for a moment. She picked up the cell phone and shook her head as she observed it. The phone was dead and battered. "It's a pity that it never work when one is in need of it," thought Miyu. She smiled as she placed it back on the table. "I could go to the mansion and asked them politely to use their phone. The mansion would definitely have electricity, but stupidity is never my specialty." She slid the cell phone to the far end of the table and looked at her wallet and contact lens container. "It is best not to bring my wallet with me. If I accidentally drop it, it will reveal my identity." Miyu opened it and took out some currency from it. "However, these might come in handy." She pushed her wallet to the cell phone area and took the contact lens. She smiled slightly and opened them. Inside was the pair of contact lens that Larva gave to her when they were in Los Angeles.

  


"It's not damage," Miyu noticed as she turned them around. Luckily, the container efficiently prevented the seawater from entering in it. "This will help. This will definitely help." Miyu placed the contact lens on the side and took the ribbons on the table. She sighed and set off to the tedious task of braiding her hair. She took three tiny strands of her hair and started to braid them. After she was done with one braid, she tied it with the ribbon and set off to braid another set. She only finished a small portion of her hair when she heard Ami knocking at her door. Miyu walked to the door and heard Ami retreating from the door. She grabbed the food and ate them in silence. For the rest of the day and into the night, Miyu continued to braid her hair. When she was done, her fingers were aching.

  


When Miyu lit the room with a candle, she heard another knock from Ami. However, this time, Miyu ignored the disturbance and continued on with her task. In order to disguise herself completely, she turned to the mirror and started to observed her posture. She slightly adjusted her posture and movements to transform herself into the necessary role she needed to act. After a few hours of observations and adjustments, Miyu found herself staring at a satisfying result. With that task finished, Miyu yawned and headed to her bed. She slipped in there and closed her eyes. Her braids irritate her and she shifted in her bed. Slowly the aches on her body and the strains she have forced her body to suffer for the day, dragged her into deep slumber.

  


******

  


Ami was placing two cups of tea to her father and mother on the table for breakfast, when Miyu slid her door open. Ami almost dropped the cup of tea when she saw Miyu. Instead of her beautiful straight brown hair, her hair was now frizzy and tied into a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Her usual brown eyes were golden. Although there were the only changes in Miyu's appearances, there was something that made herself appeared unlike the Miyu that Ami knew. For one thing, her eyes were missing the glint of intelligence and bravery that was in there when she first met Miyu. Instead, submissive and gentle look replaced the flame in her eyes. She also adapted a shy and graceful method of walking. Her shoulders were also lowered like she had a heavy burden placed on her shoulders. Her confident strides were missing as she walked slowly toward them.

  


"Miyu," asked Ami in disbelief. Miyu nodded her head.

  


"I am ready, Mr. Sato," said Miyu as she bowed toward him. Mr. Sato blinked twice before he replied back to her. He stood up and placed his cup of tea back on the table.

  


"Uhm...just...just follow me," said Mr. Sato. Miyu bowed her head to him and quickly thank Ami and Mrs. Sato for their generosity. Before Miyu left, Mrs. Sato gave her a huge sack of food for the journey. Miyu thanked her before she followed Mr. Sato quickly to the carriage and climbed inside. Mr. Sato stood outside and hesitated. "I have a set of man's clothing for your inside. Change into that. It would be better if you disguise yourself as a guy instead."

  


Miyu nodded her head as she stepped inside. She looked at the set of clothing before her and shook her head with amusement. To her dismay, it did not occurred to her to disguise herself as a man. "My physical and mental states still need to recover some more." Without wasting anytime, she quickly stripped off from her disguise and slipped into Mr. Sato's clothing. As she adjusted the neck of the shirt, she thoughtfully looked at her discarded kimono. "I might have usage for it," thought Miyu as she opened the sack of food. She carefully took out the four lunch boxes, some breads, and drinks, and folded the kimono carefully. After stuffing the kimono into the sack, she filled the extra spaces with the carefully wrapped bread.

  


Mr. Sato was preparing the horses for the trip while Miyu changed in the carriage. He was about to climb back on the driver's seat when Miyu walked out of the carriage. If he didn't knew that was Miyu, he wouldn't have recognize her. Her face was the same but it was hidden behind a huge fishing bamboo hat. Her long brown hair tucked securely in the bamboo hat. His clothing fit on her loosely as she lazily strolled toward him. She stopped walking and plucked a long strand of weed. Miyu placed the end in her mouth and started to chew on one of its end. She lightly swung a bag that held the kimono she was wearing, while carrying the four lunch boxes in her hand. She placed the bag and lunch boxes near the driver's seat before going back into the carriage to grab the drinks. Once she had secured their supplies, she pointed her finger at the cart of fish that was to be delivered to the next village.

  


"I will help you load it," Miyu said softly. Mr. Sato nodded his head as she helped Mr. Sato unload the carriage and attached the cart of fishes to the horses. After they were done, Mr. Sato and Miyu jumped up onto the driver's seat. Miyu leaned back and tilted her hat forward to cover her face. She placed her arms on the back of her head and slightly swung her leg on the side of the cart. Mr. Sato can't help but smiled at her demeanor. In just a few gestures, she transformed herself into a common boy. With soft sound coming from his voice and a pull on his string, the horses started to move according to his command. When they reached to the village gate, there were two cops standing on guard.

  


"Hey Mr. Sato," said one of the male guard. His smile lifted into a sneer. "What do you got there?"

  


"I'm delivering the fishes to the next village," Mr. Sato said coldly. One of the man walked up to the cart and looked at Miyu. He eyed her suspiciously.

  


"Who is this kid," he asked. Miyu snorted and spit on the ground. The guards look at her with disgust. She slowly rose from her back and yawned.

  


"What's going on," asked Miyu. Mr. Sato was surprised when he heard her voice. Her voice was deep and the words came out in a slur, like she was drunk or something.

  


"Nothing, Sei," said Mr. Sato. "It's nothing. Just go back to sleep." Miyu leaned back on the driver area. Mr. Sato turned to look at the two policemen. "This is just one of the boys that help me on my fishing. He is just helping me to deliver the cargo today." The guards gave one last glance at Miyu as she reached up her hand and scratched her stomach in a lazy way.

  


"Go," said the guard. "Don't try to sneak anyone out of the village, Mr. Sato. If you do, we will be force to arrest you." Mr. Sato nodded his head before he drove away. It wasn't until they were two miles away when he could finally relax. He turned to Miyu and smiled.

  


"That was very good," he said to Miyu. "How did you change your voice like that." He couldn't see it but he swore Miyu was smiling.

  


"Training," Miyu said simply. For the rest of the drive, they drove in silence. When they reached to the next village, Miyu slowly sat up on the seat. There weren't any guards on this village but the streets were quite empty. The only people that were walking in the streets were men. He drove into the village and greeted some of the people in the street. They grimly greeted him back and walked away. He stopped at a little store and dropped Miyu down over there.

  


"I'll come back and wait for your family to pick you up." Miyu nodded her head as she got off the wagon. She grabbed her bag and swung it over her right shoulder. With a wave of her hand, she slowly wobbled toward the store. Mr. Sato gave her one last glance before he went down the street to deliver the cart of fish.

  


Right at the entrance of the store stood a young handsome man with a light scar on his right cheek. He wore a cap and his long black hair was tied into a ponytail. A silver cross hung from his necklace and laid softly on his chest. His arms were crossed and his green eyes observed the village with a lazy gaze. His gaze landed on Miyu when she sloppily got down the cart. He continued to watch her while she was talking to the middle age man on the cart. With a nod from her head and a wave of her hand, Mr. Sota drove off. The young man's gaze continued to follow Miyu as she stumbled toward his direction.

  


"Oh hell!" Miyu looked up when she heard the young man exclaimed out loud. She looked at him and frowned. He stood up and walked toward her. "Oh hell!" Miyu chewed her piece of weed and rolled her eyes before she moved toward the store. However, before she reached there, the young man stopped her.

  


"What do you want," Miyu growled deeply, glaring at the young man. She took out the weed from her mouth and threw it on the ground. Her eyes widen when she took a close look at his face. She chuckled slightly and shook her head.

  


"Oh hell," said the young man again with a smile on his face. "I didn't expect to see you over here."

  


"Neither did I," Miyu said softly. She let her bag slip down from her hand. "I thought you were dead."

  


"Come on, I thought the same happen to you too. But after knowing you for such a long time, I must say, I am not surprise to see you here." He patted Miyu on her shoulder. He saw the smile on her face and quickly released his grip. "Damn it Miyu," he said softly in her ear. "Your smile is just as annoying as every. But I'll be lying if I said I am not glad to see you."

  


"Same here, Cain," Miyu whispered. "Same here." Cain laughed softly and patted her hard on the back.

  


"What do we have here," said Cain out loud. Miyu watched in silence when he narrowed his eyes and changed his voice into a cold and unemotional tone. His face-harden as he stared at a small wooden shaft located across the street. The light from the sun hit the wooden shaft and casted a little shadow on the street. Miyu turned to look at the wooden shaft and found a woman standing right underneath the shade. The shade hid her face but the shape of her shadow clearly indicated that she was a woman. "Come out." As if she was listening to his command, the woman slowly pushed herself away from the wall and stepped out of her hiding place. She calmly walked toward them with a cold smile fixed on her white complexion. Although Miyu and Cain's faces remain impassive, they recognized the young lady as soon as she stepped out to greet them.

  


"Long time no see...," Miyu started as she waited for her to fill in the space.

  


"Rei," said the girl when she reached them. "And you?"

  


"Sei," said Miyu.

  


"And I'm Duo," said Cain while lowering his voice to a whisper. "Now let's cut the crap and get to the point. What the hell are you doing here, Reiha? And especially why you are dressed like this?" Reiha looked at her clothing and shrugged. Her long blue hair was cut into shoulder length. She was dressed in a white kimono that was pulled tightly around her, allowing her figures to show.

  


"I don't see any problem with this," said Reiha nonchalantly. "What I am surprise is to see you here, Sei. I thought you were dead." She shook her head and smiled. "No...I guess you just don't die that easily."

  


"Setting yourself as a bait, aren't you," said Miyu. Reiha eyes widen a little bit.

  


"So you heard," Reiha said softly. "And you?"

  


"The Quarl," Miyu replied. Reiha nodded her head. They both looked at Cain when he muffled a cry of surprise.

  


"Damn it, how do you know," he muttered to Miyu. Miyu shrugged her shoulder and smiled at him.

  


"I have my sources, Duo dear," said Miyu.

  


"That is one damn thing I don't miss." He shivered slightly when he saw her smiling at her. To his dismay and relief, Miyu turned her attention away from him and looked at Reiha. For a moment, she stared at Reiha in silence. Although Reiha was trained to hide her discomfort, her smile looked strain on her face.

  


"I have no intention of wasting my time with you. I have..."

  


"I propose that we work together," Miyu interrupted suddenly. Cain looked at her in shock and even Reiha's impassionate face displayed a slight expression of surprise. A few second passed before Reiha started to giggle slightly.

  


"And why should I work with you," Reiha asked in a playful tone. "Have your partnership weaken your own abilities, Sei?"

  


"My abilities are not your concern in this matter," Miyu said calmly. "However, the murderers that you intend to capture are the same prey I have my sight on."

  


"So...our skills are finally put into test." She gave Miyu an icy smile. "You aren't scared are you, Sei?"

  


"Am I," Miyu replied back coldly. "I just have no intention of wasting my time to rescue you." She looked at Reiha and smiled. "You don't have a plan do you?" The icy stare that Reiha was directing toward Miyu faltered a little bit when Miyu hit the bull eyes. Miyu turned to look at Cain and directed the next question to him. "Intelligent?"

  


Cain snorted and shook his head. "They are stupid but they aren't complete idiots. They just tend to let their hormones do the thinking instead of their head." He grinned when he said those words but he quickly turned to look at Reiha with a serious look. "And if you think that you can just infiltrate their base by walking around the street, you are mistaken. First of all, what kind of sane girl is going to walk around the street with the knowledge that they have a hundred percentage of getting capture and rape?" He shifted his cap. "They are at least smart enough to realize that something is wrong with this girl. It won't take them long to realize that you are setting yourself as a bait and kill you off."

  


"That's correct." Miyu patted Cain softly on the shoulder. "You are smarter than I last saw you." She then turned to look at Reiha. "I can't say the same thing for you." A scowled appeared on Reiha's face. With great effort, her face reverted back to its unimpressionable feature.

  


"What are you suggesting," asked Reiha. She knew enough to acknowledge her defeat.

  


Miyu nodded her head. "If you want to infiltrate their base, it is best to act as one of the member of the villagers." Reiha nodded her head slightly. Although she was tempted to snap at Miyu by claiming that she already thought of that, she prevented herself from saying it.

  


"You've already have a plan." Miyu nodded her head.

  


"My conditions are not in my ideal state. I have no intention of staying here. However..." She looked at Duo and smiled. "I might make an exception." Miyu ignored the curses that Cain muttered right under his breath and continued on with her line of thinking. "I was fortunate to be rescued by the mayor of the neighboring village. If you and I imposed ourselves as the daughters of my rescuer, we might be able to infiltrate the brother's mansion and discover where they have hidden the girls." She lightly patted Duo on the arm. "I expect you will be helping us?"

  


"Want to but can't," said Cain. "Why? Because those three perverts are not as stupid as you think they are. So what if they bribe the police to capture those girls? What proof do you have against them? It will take you forever to look through all of their bank accounts. And don't expect me to help you guys out too. I didn't see them put money into those bastard's bank account. I just heard those three gorillas mentioning about it. If we go to court, it will just be their words against mine."

  


"The villagers," Reiha said dryly.

  


"I haven't forgotten about that." Cain snorted and shook his head. "Like what I said, those brothers are not that stupid. They got the girls capture and imprison but they haven't ship them off yet." Miyu and Reiha each raised one eyebrow as waited for him to explain himself. "No doubt, you both must have came up with the right reason for their operation. Whorehouse...what do you expect. That is where all those chicks are bound to end up in. But...if there are any investigation on the police force and on the three brothers, it is quite obvious that the villagers will start yapping about their stolen daughters. If that happen, then the policemen and the three brothers will be wallowing in deep waters." Cain smiled and tapped one finger on the side of his head. "That is when they start doing some thinking. Instead of shipping off those girls like some hot potato, they actually imprison them in a warehouse. Don't ask me where it is because I don't have a damn clue where that place is. I just know, as long as those girls are there, they are safe. While they are at it, they are thinking of ways to make them disappear in our records. Meaning, they will have to fake their death. How they are going to pull it off?" Cain shrugged his shoulders. "If they know that answer, they would have shipped the babes off a long time ago. So...before they can make these girls vanish like David Copperfield can, they will continue to keep them hidden. And if there is any investigations on this operation, then poof...out comes the girls again."

  


"Having the girls eliminated will not be that hard," said Reiha.

  


"In normal circumstances, that will be very simple," said Miyu. "However, while they are in prison, that task might tend to be impossible."

  


"Yep," Cain agreed. "Can't poison them because that will still have their full bodies in tack. Also...that will bring investigators flooding over here and snooping around trying to understand who the heck would be so clever and brave to poison the whole damn police station. So...that isn't good. Can't set the police station on fire and put someone else body to replace the girls either. That is because there is still something called DNA testing." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "We could bomb the damn place. But we still have to place a blindfold over our forensics to be able to pull that idea through. But...now that I think of it...we might be able to pull off with that idea. They just have to sacrifice some of the girls, but...there is also a risk to it." He shrugged his shoulder and grinned at them. "I know you won't listen to me but I'll still say it anyway because Larva will have my head off if I don't at least warn you two. So..."

  


"Larva is not my keeper," Miyu interrupted. Cain opened his mouth to protest and quickly closed his mouth with he saw Miyu smiling coldly at him. "I see you've been keeping contact with Larva."

  


"Well...I."

  


Miyu turned away from Cain and toward Reiha's direction. "I believe you know what this mean." Reiha nodded her head slightly.

  


"The only investigation we can do right now is on the first twenty girls and the murder victims," said Reiha.

  


"Damn," cursed Cain. He looked at both of them and sighed. "Alright...so I guess I don't have a heck of a chance to convince you two to back up. But...." He patted Miyu softly on the shoulder. "You, on the other hand, are not going to join in with this investigation."

  


"Excuse me?" Cain swallow when he saw Miyu innocently looking at him. He knew her long enough to know that he is treading on a dense mine field. If he chose the wrong words, the whole thing could blow up on his face. And having Reiha standing there staring at him didn't help the situation any better.

  


"Alright...listen. For one reason, this is not your department's business." Cain saw Miyu nodded her head softly, and he could have swear he saw a smile creeping up on Reiha's face. "Our department deals with drugs. If you want to join in with the investigation, you need the homicidal department's approval..."

  


"I don't mind a challenge." Cain scowled at Reiha while she stood there with an innocent smile.

  


"You are not making the situation easier than it have to be."

  


Reiha lifted up one of her hand to her face and hid her smile behind the sleeve of her kimono. "I see you are not as good as you claim yourself to be. If you can't handle such minor pressure like this situation, then you are not worth my time." She giggled slightly when Cain stared at her and sputtered in disbelief and anger. "Besides...your excuses would not hinder Sei from doing what he wants. I also have no intention of listening to any of your idiotic excuses, especially when the answer to your question is obviously right in front of you." She looked and Miyu and found her smiling.

  


"You may have the honor," Miyu said simply with a bow.

  


"Just answer me one question, Duo," said Reiha.

  


"What," snapped Cain. It was already irritating to have Miyu and Larva playing with his mind. It didn't help his nerve to have another one that is just as annoying as them both.

  


"Why are you here?" Cain stared at her with a stupid expression while Miyu and Reiha innocently smile at him.

  


"Crap," cursed Cain when he understood the significance of her question.

  


"Exactly," said Miyu. She looked down at the street and found Mr. Sato's cart coming down the street toward them. "We don't have time to waste on unnecessary argument." She bent downward to grab her bag and headed straight for the store before Cain and Reiha could stop her. "I will contact Larva, right now." Miyu looked back at Cain and give him one of her smile. "I believe that will ease your worry."

  


"Like hell it would," Cain muttered. "Come on." He grabbed Reiha by the arm and started to drag her toward the store. If he would have look back, he wouldn't miss the frown on Reiha's face and decided it would be wise to release her. However, he didn't and continued to drag her softly after Miyu. Reiha took two deep breaths and decided it was best that she hid her temper and prevented any public commotion. She could always throw him across the street anytime once this mission was over.

  


The store manager looked at Miyu as she walked toward him. When his eyes fell on Cain, the fear in his eyes and the trembles on his lips did not escape from Miyu's observation. His eyes continued to focus on Cain when Miyu reached to his counter. The store manager gave a slight jump when Miyu slammed her fist on the counter and glared at him. She plopped her bag right on the counter and spit on the dirt ground.

  


"The damn phone," barked Miyu, directing her glare at the cowering store manager. The store manager looked at Miyu and then turned to look at Cain, who stood right behind Miyu. Cain released Reiha's arm and slowly nodded his head. With his approval, the store manager quickly grabbed the phone from behind his counter and placed it on the counter. Miyu took some yens from her pocket and tossed it on the counter. "Keep the change." The store manager looked at Cain for approval and grabbed the coins when Cain nodded his head.

  


"Leave." It didn't take long for the store manager to scrambled to the back of his store when he heard Cain's command. Miyu smiled at Cain as she lifted the handle to the phone.

  


"I see you managed to elicit fear in these villager," Miyu whispered while dialing Larva's number.

  


"I learn it all from you." Cain let a smile appeared on his face before reverting back to his cool composure. He leaned his back to the counter and looked out to the street. "I'll keep watch." Reiha walked away from him and stood closed to Miyu.

  


With a nodded from her head, Miyu pressed the phone to her ear when she finished dialing Larva's cell phone number. She waited patiently when the ring tone appeared. By the second ring, a familiar voice appeared on the other end of the phone.

  


"Hello."

  


Miyu smiled slight before she returned his greeting. "Hello, old man."

  
  


***Police Department***

  


Larva closed the file he just finished and tossed it into a box. Her rubbed his weary eyes before he looked around him. After a few second of staring, his eyes finally adjusted themselves and allowed him to focus on the objects that were around the department. Already, the department was busting with noises and hurry footsteps as people scurry across the room to get to their destination. A small smile appeared on his face when he heard another groan coming from Ichiro's direction. Larva looked at Ichiro as he tossed another file into the box and looked helplessly at the piles of files that were on his desk.

  


"This is a never ending task," groaned Ichiro, leaning back on his chair and ran his hand through his hair in agony.

  


"Your pile would have been lesser if you haven't accidentally spill your coffee on Van's shirt early in the morning," Ranka said dryly. She closed the file in her hand triumphantly and tossed it into the finish pile. Ranka looked at her cleared desk and smile. "I'm done with mine." Her gaze fell on Ichiro's desk and she sighed. Without a word, she reached for one of his pile and placed it on her desk. Ichiro looked at her with a stun expression on his face. "I'll help you out or else you will be blind."

  


"Thank you!!!" Ichiro hugged her happily.

  


"Let go of me, Ichiro before I decided to stop helping you." Ichiro quickly released her and sat back on his desk. Larva shook his head slightly and drained the last drop from his cup of coffee. With one last glance at the three files on his desk, he decided it would be best to grab a fresh cup of coffee before he started to tackle them.

  


He silently strolled toward the coffee room and headed toward the coffee machine. He sighed softly when he noticed the container was empty and placed his empty cup next to the coffee maker. With a few expert moves, the coffee maker was humming softly and started to brew a new batch of fresh coffee. Larva leaned on the counter and stared at the room while he waited for the coffee to be done. While he stood there in a daze, his fingers unconsciously went up to the ribbon on the neck of his coat and fiddled with it. "Miyu," he whispered. He woke up from his daze when the coffee maker started to beep out loud to indicate its accomplished task. He poured himself a cup of coffee and poured in the cream and sugar. With a sigh and a new cup of coffee in his hand, Larva walked out of the coffee room and headed back to his desk. To his surprise, his cell phone was ringing on the top of his desk. Larva hurried toward his desk and quickly placed his cup of coffee on the desk, before he picked up his cell phone. He sat down on his desk and flipped open one of the file before he answered his phone.

  


"Hello," said Larva with his eyes focused on the file that was in his hand.

  


"Hello, old man."

  


The file slipped from Larva's hands and landed on his lap as he sat there in shock. His gaze fell upon a woman that was sitting across the room. The woman saw him looking at her direction and blushed before she looked back down to her work. Unknown to her, nothing was registering through Larva's mind except the sound of the voice that he just heard.

  


A giggle appeared on the other side of the line when Larva didn't answer her. "Grown any white hair lately?"

  


A smile slowly appeared on Larva's face and his usual cold eyes started to warm up. The woman, who was blushing before, blushed into a deeper shade of red when she looked up and saw Larva's tender look. To her dismay, Larva diverted his gaze and looked down on his desk. A small laughter erupted from him and it shook through his body. A warmth feeling melted through his icy cold wall and happiness appeared on his face as he leaned back on his chair. "Just some, little girl. Just some." Somehow or another he could feel Miyu smiling on the other side of the phone. "I've managed."

  


"But not enough." Larva sat up in alarm when the warmth from Miyu's voice disappeared. He pushed the files on his desk aside and took out a piece of paper. A serious expression appeared on his face when he took up a pen.

  


"What are you up to, Miyu," Larva asked.

  


Miyu giggled softly when she heard his question. "My...my...are you worry about me old man?" A smile appeared on her face when she felt Larva frowning at the other end of the phone.

  


"Miyu," Larva said with a warning tone in his voice. "Answer my question."

  


"I have some business to attend to," said Miyu. "Larva...I want you to..."

  


"Oh my, Sei," Reiha interrupted. "Have your skill deteriorated so much that you have to rely on your partner's help?"

  


"I want you to tell Yui that I have some business to attend to," Miyu continued, ignoring Reiha's comment. "I will come back when I am done with them."

  


"Miyu..." Larva clutched his pen tightly in his hand.

  


"Also...tell Van that I am taking a vacation."

  


"Miyu."

  


"Thank you, old man," said Miyu. "I'll keep in contact with you as soon as I can. Take care." Without another word, she hanged up the phone.

  


A scowl appeared on Larva's face when Miyu hang up on him. "Little girl..." He looked at his cell phone and looked around him. Everyone in the room continued on with their work and none of them paid any attention to him. Without wasting anytime, Larva quickly gave a call to his cell phone company. "I'm not going to let you go," mumbled Larva as he waited for the operator to pick up. After ten minutes of waiting and a few more minutes of talking to the operator, Larva finally scribbled something on a piece of paper and hanged up. A frowned appeared on his face as he stared at the writings on the piece of paper. He closed his eyes and tapped his hand on his table. "Reiha. That's right. It was her voice that I heard." With a little nod, he stood up and walked to Van's office.

  


Van was scrubbing the front of his shirt with a dry towel when Larva pushed open the door to his office and walked in. "What the heck," Van exclaimed in surprise. He quickly tossed the towel below his desk and button up his suit. "What do you think you are doing," demanded Van. Larva closed the door and calmly sat down on one of the chair.

  


"I will be gone for a couple of days. I have something important to do."

  


Van cupped his hands on top of the desk and looked at Larva. "What do you think this place is, huh," yelled Van. He was irritated with Larva. Not only did he burst into his room, he also caught him in a very embarrassing moment. It also annoyed him like heck when Larva demanded, not ask, to be excused for a couple of days. "This isn't a play ground! You can't just come in here and demand to be excused for a couple of days without any proper..."

  


"Miyu is alive." Larva smiled slightly when his words got the wanted effect. Not only did Van stopped his tirade, his mouth was hanging open as he stared at Larva in shock. Larva stood up from his chair and headed to the door. He opened the door and walked outside. Before he closed the door, he gave one last glace at Van. "I'll report to you as soon as I can." He closed the door and left a stunned Van still sitting on the chair.

  


Larva took out his cell phone and called Nagi. After exchanging a few words with Nagi and hearing Yui crying happily after hearing her sister was alive, Larva stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor. As the elevator surged upward, Larva detached the ribbon from the neck of his coat and carefully folded it. He slipped it into his pocket and stepped out of the elevator when it stopped. Larva walked through the homicidal department with a few long stride and knocked on Sergeant Satou's door.

  


"Come in," barked Sergeant Satou. Larva opened the door and stepped in. Piles of folders were on his desk and he had just finished signing one of them when Larva walked in. He sighed inwardly and looked at Larva with great annoyance. "What do you want?"

  


"I need some answers," said Larva. He placed two of his hands on Satou's desk and leaned forward. "And you are going to give it to me." Although Larva is thinner than him, Satou couldn't help but shrink under Larva's gaze.

  


"What...what do you want?" Larva smiled at Satou's question.

  
  


***Miyu***

  


Miyu hanged up the phone with a slight smile on her face. She looked at Reiha and found her staring at her. Reiha silently directed Miyu's attention toward Cain when she pointed her finger to his direction.

  


"He does not seem please," said Reiha.

  


"No crap," Cain muttered. "You could at least tell Larva where you are."

  


"He knows where I am," said Miyu. Before Cain could asked her how, she looked at the street and found Mr. Sato waiting for her. "Duo, go and talk to Mr. Sato."

  


Cain snorted. "What...and have him running away from me faster than a speeding bullet. He knows who I am and the last thing he ever want is to talk to me."

  


"Then I will assist you," said Reiha. She gave one look at Cain before she headed straight out to the street. Before Cain could go after her, Miyu tapped him on the shoulder to stop him. She pulled him closed to her and whispered into his ear.

  


"Tell him that you are part of the Tokyo department and that you are under my order." When Cain was about to protest, Miyu gave him a sharp push to sent him on the way.

  


"Damn her," growled Cain right under his breath. He looked at Miyu one last time and found her heading to the back of the shop with her bag in her hand. By the time that he reached there, he found Mr. Sato staring at Reiha with a puzzle expression. Cain tapped Reiha softly on the shoulder to catch her attention. "What did you told him," he asked in a low voice.

  


"Miyu," said Reiha simply. Mr. Sato's gaze left Reiha and turned to focus on Cain. A mixture of horror, anger, and fear washed over his face when he saw Cain standing right in front of him. He backed up on his seat and pointed his finger at Cain.

  


"You," Mr. Sato sputtered in shock. "You...you.." With a low curse, Cain jumped up on Mr. Sato's wagon. Before Mr. Sato could move away, Cain grabbed him by the shoulder and took the rein away from his hand.

  


"Shut up and listen," Cain said harshly but in a low voice. He noticed the terror in Mr. Sato's eyes and he knew, if he didn't act fast, Mr. Sato will end up starting a commotion. Cain carefully chose his word and delivered them in a hurry. "I am an undercover cop from the Tokyo police department. Miyu and her partner are my supervisors. It might seems like I am working for the three butt heads, but my order is to infiltrate into their Quarl's organization and help my department bring their organization down." Cain wheezed out the last sentence and took a deep breath. The fear in Mr. Sato's eyes subsided but there was still doubt in it. "What I just reveal to you is top secret information. I might get fired for telling you this. But I need your help...no...Miyu needs your help in this operation." He pointed at Reiha. "That is Reiha and she is also a detective in our Tokyo department. She is sent here to investigate the murders that have occurred in your village."

  


"How...how can I trust you," asked Mr. Sato in a trembling voice. Without a word, Reiha immediately took out her wallet and handed it over to Mr. Sato.

  


"Open it." Mr. Sato obeyed Reiha's command and opened her wallet. The fear retreated from his eyes and joy appeared in them. His head turned in a sharp snapped and his eyes were radiating with new hope. Cain cursed and snatched the wallet from Mr. Sato's hand. He closed it and lightly grabbed Mr. Sato by the shoulder.

  


"Stay calm," warned Duo softly. "Don't blow our identity." He lightly pushed Mr. Sato down on his seat. "Relax and act normal."

  


"This wouldn't have happen if you didn't tell him our identity," Reiha said with a frown. "You have your own right to reveal your identity. However, you have no right to reveal mine. You will hear from my supervisor from this." Cain sighed and handed her back her wallet. She snatched it from his hand, while he leaned down toward her until their faces were only an inch apart.

  


"If I withheld our identity," hissed Cain. "We would have a huge crowd here already!" Reiha's eyes widen a little bit when Cain sweetly smiled at her. The way he imitate Miyu's smile to its perfection was really uncanny, and it worked perfectly to annoy Reiha. "Well, my dear Reiha...you will eventually have to tell him your identity, because you need his help. Or have you forgotten your situation?"

  


Reiha opened her mouth to retort back to him but a voice cut through their little argument. "Uncle Tako!" Cain, Reiha, and Mr. Sato turned to look at the direction of the voice and were shock to find Miyu standing a few feet behind the wagon. What surprise them was not due to their discovery of her appearance. It was her attire that managed to knock them into shock. Her fisherman's clothing was discarded and she had on the kimono she was wearing during her stay with the Sato. Her hair, which was hidden under the huge fisherman hat, fell down to her back and poof outward due to its fuzziness. It was tied into a ponytail by a blue ribbon.

  


A smile appeared on Reiha's face when the initial shock disappeared and looked at Cain. A scowled appeared on Cain's face and he cursed under his breath when he saw Miyu heading toward them. "I'm sorry, Uncle Tako," said Miyu happily. She ran up to them in a gently soft steps. "I got lost." She looked at Reiha and smiled lightly. "I'm glad that you found my sister." Mr. Sato sat there with a horrified and dumbfounded look on his face. Miyu gave Cain a curious look and tilted her head slightly to the left, while pointing her finger at him. "Who is he uncle Tako?"

  


"He...He...," Mr. Sato sputtered as he looked at Miyu. Cain's frowned deepen when Miyu's eyes clouded in confusion.

  


"I am just a local resident," Cain answered her coldly. "I will be escorting you and your sister back home." Miyu gave him a sweet smile and tossed the bag she had with her on the wagon.

  


"Thank you...Mr..." Miyu stopped her sentence and waited for him to fill his name in.

  


Cain suppressed a sigh. "Duo. Just call me Duo."

  


"Alright Duo," said Miyu with a bow. She giggled slightly when she looked at him. "Thank you. Oh yeah...my name is Miyako." Although he knew Miyu was acting, he can't help but feel a little bit surprise when Miyu threw her arm around Reiha's shoulder. Dismay immediately appeared on Reiha's face when she realized how affectionate Miyu was acting. "This is my sister, Rei."

  


Reiha glanced at Miyu before she turned to look at Cain. "We've already met."

  


"Oh, you did," Miyu asked in surprise. She blushed slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  


"Enough," said Cain. He turned and shook Mr. Sato slightly on the shoulder. "We don't have time to waste on introduction. Climb in here so that we can start moving." Reiha nodded her head and silently climb on the empty cart. The cart still reeked with the smell of fish when Reiha stepped in it. Her face scrunch up in disgust when her nose caught that smell. Taking a handkerchief from the pocket of her kimono Reiha daintily placed it on one of the side rail and sat down on it. She crossed her arms in front of her as she waited for Miyu to climb in.

  


"You guys are no fun," Miyu said with a pout. She climbed up clumsily onto the wagon. A giggle escaped her when she slipped and fell down on Cain. "I'm sorry." Cain suppressed an groan and before Miyu knew it, he shoved her to the back of the wagon. Miyu frowned before she sat down next to Reiha.

  


"Go," commanded Cain in Mr. Sato's ear. Mr. Sato nodded in understanding and took the rein when Duo gave them to him. Miyu was almost thrown off the cart when the wagon started with a sharp tug. The four of them, except Miyu, rode in silence as they went toward the exit for the village. Miyu kicked her legs idly and looked around her with excitement radiating from her golden eyes. Once in a while, Reiha would roll her eyes upward and tried to move away from Miyu, when Miyu nudged her slightly on the arm and pointed at something in excitement. By the time they were out of the village and two miles away from it, Reiha was sitting across from Miyu and glaring at her.

  


Miyu smiled at Reiha. "What is the matter, Rei? Why do you look so grouchy," Miyu asked innocently.

  


"Stop it...stop it," Cain groaned. He turned to glare at Miyu. "I don't think I can handle it any longer. Hell, your cuteness is killing me! It is even more annoying than how you normally act!" The smile faded from Miyu's face and she stopped kicking her legs.

  


"It's all in the act, my dear Cain," said Miyu.

  


"Permit me to throw her off the cart," Reiha said coldly.

  


"Would love to but can't," said Cain. "Larva will have my head in a platter if something happen to her." He ignored Miyu's frown and took a quick glance around their surrounding before he turned back to them. "And just to be safe, why don't we call each other by our...err...given name, okay?"

  


"No objection," Miyu agreed.

  


"Okay...now that we got that through, why don't..."

  


"Would somebody tell me what is going on?" They all turned to look at Mr. Sato when he addressed them. He turned his gaze away from the road and looked at Miyu. "I was too shock to ask before but...can you please tell me what you are planning?"

  


"Whoa...don't take your eyes off the road," Cain exclaimed when the horses started to move away from the main road. He snatched the rein from Mr. Sato's hands and pulled on it to stop the horses. "Damn, horse. Can't take your eyes off them even for a minute." He snapped the rein and the horses jolted back into a trot. "I'll take over."

  


"Thanks," said Mr. Sato. "Miyu..."

  


"Miyako," said Miyu. "My name will be Miyako from now on." She moved toward Mr. Sato and so did Reiha. Her voice lowered into a whisper. "Rei and I will be disguised as your niece. We came here for a surprise visit."

  


"But...," started Mr. Sato.

  


"You didn't know that we were coming," Reiha continued. "We didn't even tell you that we were coming." She looked at Miyu and nodded her head. "Before we went to your village, Miyako and I decided to stop by on your neighboring village. Miyako and I split up to look for different supplies." She patted Cain on the shoulder.

  


"What," snapped Cain. His face is contorted with great concentration as he tried to keep the horses on the right track.

  


"Duo was talking to a friend when he accidentally discover me. He commanded me to walk up to him, which I did. After that, his friend..." Reiha nodded her head toward Miyu's direction. "He needed to use a phone and I went with them. The reason why I decided to follow Duo was because he told me that he knew where you were."

  


"And then my friend needed to use the restroom," said Cain. "And...hold on...let me think. Wait..oh yeah...I saw you driving your cart down the road. Since Rei said that she was looking for you, I took her along with me." He grinned. "Of course...Rei, being a newcomer over here, don't know who the heck I am. But you...on the other hand...know who I am. So...of course, you looked like you just seen a ghost when I started to walk toward you. WHOA!" He pulled on the rein of the horses and turned them back to the road when they started to stray. "Err...where was I?? Oh, right. Like I was saying, you were scared to see me. You wanted to drive your cart away but you saw Reiha with...OUCH!" Cain turned around the glared at Reiha when she jabbed her elbow sharply on his back. "What the hell!!" Reiha seemed unfazed by his outburst.

  


A small smile appeared on Miyu's face before she continued on with Cain's thought. "Rei," she said with emphasis. Cain scowled and turned his attention back to the horses. "She was with Duo. With her as his captive, you were obligated to listen to Duo's command. Remember this...." She looked at Mr. Sato sternly, and he nodded his head. "These are the questions that Duo had asked you. He would asked you is Rei your niece, which you will answer yes. He will then asked you whether she is the only girl that belonged to your family. Because you don't know whether I have traveled with Rei and in order to save your daughter, you will lie to him by answering yes. Just as Duo is about to take Rei into custody, I appeared. Because of my appearance, your answer became invalid. Duo began to doubt your honesty and forced you to remain silent. He lied to Rei and I and told us that he was going to escort us to your village. In reality, he would be investigating your household to see whether you are hiding any other girls."

  


Mr. Sato's face paled when he heard her words. "But...but...Ami...she will be pulled into this." He shook his head violently. "No! I WON'T HAVE THIS! I WON'T...!"

  


"Would you shut the hell up," hissed Cain in Mr. Sato's ear.

  


"I would not let my daughter get draw into this! I can't have those three...three...demons get their hands on my daughter!" Before Cain could stop him, Mr. Sato snatched the rein from Cain's hand and pulled the horses into a sharp halt. "Get out!" His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at them. "Get out of my cart! I want you to catch them but I will not put my daughter in danger. Get out!" Unfazed by his anger, Reiha and Miyu sat there in silence and looked at him with expressionless eyes.

  


"Calm down," Cain said. He stood up and softly put his hand on Mr. Sato's shoulder, but Mr. Sato shook it away.

  


"GET OFF," Mr. Sato said firmly.

  


"The three brothers already know about Ami. They know that you have a daughter for a long time." Although Cain had spoken those words softly, the effects of the words managed to knock Mr. Sato right off his feet. Darkness fell upon him and before he could hit his head on the wooden floor of the cart, Miyu quickly stood up and caught him. She lowered him softly on the seat while Cain moved forward to examine Mr. Sato. Reiha watched the scene quietly.

  


"He fainted." Cain swore and lightly shook Mr. Sato.

  


"Come on. Wake up. We don't have time to waste." He looked at Miyu ruefully. "Damn! I should have find a better way to tell him the news, huh?"

  


"He was upset," Reiha said frankly. "You did only what was necessary. Your words were straightforward and it got its points across. That's all it matter." Miyu didn't say anything but Reiha could have swear that Cain was muttering some curses about her. In a few seconds, Mr. Sato was brought back to the conscious world. Cain was relief for a second until Mr. Sato grabbed him by the neck of his coat and started to demand what he had meant with his words.

  


"What I was saying...would you just stop shaking me and calm down?!" The outburst from Cain managed to shake some sense into Mr. Sato. He slowly released his grip on Cain. Cain adjusted his coat and wryly looked at Mr. Sato. "As I was saying, we know that you have a daughter. We've known it for a long time."

  


"How," Mr. Sato asked hoarsely.

  


"How else. All you have to do is just bribe a villager or check the records and we will know who is in this village or not. But in your case, they got their information from one of your villager. I think you should know him. His name was Kuja."

  


"Kuja? Yes...I know him. He committed suicide when his daughter got taken away." A frown appeared on Mr. Sato's face when he recalled his reaction to Kuja's death. He felt pity at that time but the pity died when he heard what Cain said next.

  


"Yep...he committed suicide because he betray your whole village. The police were about to arrest his daughter and in order to save his daughter and gain her freedom, he told the police all the information that they needed." Cain laughed bitterly. "I've never saw anyone that stupid in my whole life. He should know these guys have no honor. What make him think they will returned his daughter back to him after he have told them everything that they needed?"

  


"Desperation," Miyu said simply. "Desperation can drive a man to lose all logic." She patted Mr. Sato softly on the shoulder. "We have no intention of dragging your daughter into this investigation. Rei and I are supposed to be the only girls that are in your household. That was our original plan." She paused. "Why didn't they capture Ami?" Her last question was addressed to Cain.

  


Unfortunately, he doesn't know the answer to it. "Eventually...they might. But not today...not today."

  


"Why not," Reiha asked quickly.

  


"Because Gima is coming." Miyu rapidly turned her attention to him. Confusion appeared in Reiha's eyes but she kept her silence. She knew that they will fill in the necessary pieces for her without her asking. And to prove her point, Miyu turned to her and quickly informed her about Gima.

  


"So she is one of Cain's most trusted follower." Reiha nodded her head slightly.

  


"Yes," said Miyu with a slight frown on her face. "Gio, Gia, Gigi, and Gima. They are Cain's most trusted follower. Gio and Gigi have died." Her hand clutched in anger. "And Gia is alive. Now...they are sending Gima out to eliminate Larva."

  


"You are kind of correct," said Cain. "But not quite. You see, Gima's original role, which she is still performing, is to seduce Aoi." A little smile quirked on Cain's face when Miyu and Reiha both gave him an astonishing look. He turned around and looked at the horses. "Might as well tell you the whole story, since neither one of you are backing down." He patted Mr. Sato softly on the back. "We better get going." Cain took the rein from Mr. Sato's hands and before they knew it, they were cruising down the road again.

  


"But what about Ami," asked Mr. Sato.

  


"They'll think of something. So, don't worry about it. Knowing Miyako and Rei, they are going to keep your daughter safe. Even if it means losing their badges." He scowled. "And risking mine too."

  


"Explain," Miyu said simply.

  


"What the heck do you mean but explain?! Do you know how many times I almost got my head blown off because of you? Do you know how many times..."

  


"Duo, shut up," Reiha said firmly, cutting off his tirade. "Unless you want to announce your identity to the entire universe, I would suggest you to quiet down yourself and answer Miyako's question."

  


"That is what I was doing until you interrupted."

  


"She meant Aoi and Gima."

  


"Oh..." Cain blushed from embarrassment. Although he didn't look back, he could have swore he heard Miyu giggling and Reiha smiling at his stupidity. "Damn those two women," he thought to himself. "Alright, listen up you two," he said. He leaned his back backward on the driver's seat and Miyu and Reiha leaned forward to hear his news. Neither one of them dare to risk having their conversation over heard by anybody else. And to their annoyance, the road that they were on, which was isolated before, started to have people, although only a few of them, traveling on it. Some pay no attention to them but others shot them a query look before passing their cart. Cain's face-harden and his eyes reverted back to its coldness. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Reiha turning her face away from him and her eyes focusing, but not really seeing, on the road that they have just left. A slight groan escaped from him when Miyu started to hum a small annoying tune, that seem too cheerful for the bleak situation they were in. Although Reiha and Miyu were each occupied with their own duties, their main attention were focused on the information that Cain was starting to reveal to them.

  


"Remember your accident in LA?" Miyu slightly nodded her head and continued to whistle. "Well...I don't have to tell you this, but when you were gone, the Quarl started to show their face again in Japan. At that time, I was just a rookie in their gang but I was able to find out that Gio and Gima were running the main operation. I wasn't able to find out what Gio was up to but if I have known about it, you wouldn't be here in the first place would you!"

  


"Get to the point," Reiha said impatiently.

  


"Hold your horses," Cain muttered. "Anyways, I was able to find out what Gima was up to. She was suppose to sent some goddamn spy into our department so they can know how our raid operates. But before they can do that, Van started to do some thinking and decided to do the pouncing instead of waiting for them to act. So he called in Aoi and asked him to infiltrate the Quarl's operation. Of course Aoi said yes and before you know it, they started to ring up Larva and asked him for some advice. Larva was upset to hear their plan but he knew that it was necessary. So without your knowledge...well...actually, Larva was suppose to tell you about it, once you get better and come back to Japan, but you know what happen."

  


Miyu nodded. "Continue."

  


"So under Larva's instruction, Aoi got some training in regarding to how the Quarl operates and before you know it, he was out in the street and acting his role. Gima snatched him up right away, especially when she found out that Aoi was bitter to lose his promotion to Ichiro." He smiled. "And that is a lie of course because we all know that Aoi's position is higher than Ichiro, and if Ichiro, that fool, is able to get himself promoted, he will be in the same position as Ranka and Aoi. But...Gima doesn't know that. She just knew that Aoi's faith in his job is starting to shatter and decided to seduce him. Hehe...Aoi have to play hard to get for the past few weeks, and believe me, he swore he was not acting. But in the end, he end up with Gima and betraying Ranka. Oh yeah...Ranka and Ichiro doesn't have a damn clue to what is going on." A smile appeared on Cain's face but it quickly disappeared. "Right now, he is scared out of his wit, because he doesn't know what Ranka is going to do to him once this thing is over."

  


"Aoi is the spy."

  


"Yep," Cain agreed. "He is the spy in our department. He has been their spy for quite a while. And that is when my cover in the Quarl was blown. Lady Luck seems to favor me because Aoi is the one that was ordered to kill me. On the day of my so call death, Aoi intentionally fake a stomach ache, so he didn't have to join in with the raid. He was sent to the doctors right away. Instead of having his stomach flushed out, Aoi and Van already told the doctor about their case and order the doctor to act as if Aoi did have food poisoning and is being treated for it. So...the doctor is doing his little deed in the hospital and while he is doing that, Aoi slipped out of the hospital and speed like hell to the pier where Ranka and the others were heading. And that is where I get to play my part...because you see, Gima doesn't trust Aoi entirely. She put some of her men to look over Aoi's loyalty. Because of that, Aoi has no choice but to shoot me." He touched his left arm tenderly. "He shot me, alright. First on the arm and then on my chest. But...he is just as smart as you, Miyako. He pulled the same trick that you did with Larva, and placed small bags of blood all over the bulletproof vest. All he have to do is just shoot at some of them and that is convincing enough for the others."

  


"Not to say, they didn't check my pulse because they did. But...they check it right after Aoi shot me a few times and I wasn't dead yet. They thought I was going to die because my pulse was slowing and god damn it, of course it was. Aoi really did shot me on my left arm and it took all of my restrain to pretend to play dead, while my arm is hurting like hell and my blood are squirting out of the arm like a faucet."

  


"You blacked out," Reiha mused.

  


"Like you wouldn't! Anyways, the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital with my left arm wrapped up like a mummy." He rapidly turned to Miyu. "You know what? I discovered that our department had no mercy or what so ever! Before I can fully recover, they disguise me again and threw me out into the street."

  


"Uhm...the road," muttered Mr. Sato when he noticed the horses were starting to go astray again.

  


"Sorry...but, hey...take over for me for a while," said Cain. He lightly tossed the rein to Mr. Sato and scrambled to the back of the cart. Miyu smile at him and Reiha gave him one annoyed look before she turned back to look at the disappearing road. Standing right between them, Cain crossed his arms and looked down on the floor. "My butt is killing me. I don't think I can sit in this cart any longer."

  


"Your discomfort does not interest me," said Reiha. "What I want is the actual facts."

  


"Now I understand why everyone stay clear from you," Cain grumbled. An icy glare from Reiha managed to make him regret his words. "Anyways...I joined in the Quarl again as Duo, and after a few days of working, I saw Aoi again. So...I punched him." Although his face remained devoid from any emotion, his words carry out all of his passion and feelings. He shrugged his shoulders. "Hey...what do you expect? I know he was acting but that shot hurt like hell. Anyways, after I had punched him and he decided not kill me for attacking him, he told me that Van ordered me to..uhmm...assist Aoi in finishing this mission."

  


"The objective," asked Miyu.

  


"To find out Cait Sith hideout."

  


"Did you find it," Reiha asked softly, so soft that Cain almost missed what she just asked.

  


"Do you think I would still be here if I have already found it?"

  


"Incompetent."

  


It took all of Cain's restrain to stop himself from whacking Reiha on the head for calling him that. "Incompetent as I am, you are still relying on me to help you out on this mission." Reiha said nothing. "Beside, Aoi and I discovered that it is basically impossible to find where Cait Sith is hiding. No one...and I meant no one, in the organization know where his hideout is. Even Gima and the three brothers have no clue. Gima told Aoi that she only saw Cait Sith when he summons her. And every time they met, they always met at different location. Besides...most of the orders that we got from him were sent by messengers. Believe me, we tried to trace those messengers and either they are dead or they have disappeared from the face of the Earth."

  


"And that explains why I am here," said Cain. "Because we don't have a clue to where Cait Sith's house is located at, Van decided to change our objective. So...now Aoi and I are responsible for finding their major warehouse. Meaning...the place where they store most of their drugs. Van is hoping that we can draw Cait Sith out like this. And the next thing I knew, I was sent here to work under the three brothers. At first, I was like all beginners. I was given a bunch of stupid jobs that even a cow can replace me. But on the third day of my transfer, something happened, something that I wasn't proud of, that got me promoted."

  


"Your story is insignificant to the case," said Reiha. "If you have any important information to report, report it. If you just want to waste your time and tell us your story, then don't bother speaking and wasting my time."

  


"Like the days before," Cain continued without paying any heed to what Reiha had just said. Miyu giggled slightly when she saw the frown that appeared on Reiha's face. "I was helping the rest of the crews with the loading. I had been working since eight in the morning on that day and I only had an hour break for lunch and dinner. So...on that night, around ten or so, I was just cranky and tired. I just want that day to end so I can just go to sleep. But, Genta, the oldest of the three, was cursing one of the workers on the pier. I got to admit, that guy had great restrain. He was able to withstand one whole minute of Genta's abuse before he went berserk. He took out his pocketknife and started to swipe at Genta. And stupid me, who happened to be carrying a cargo and passing right by them, didn't noticed what was going on until it was too late. Before I knew it, Genta had step back from the swipe and pushed me in between him and that crazy man." He touched one of his hand on the scar on his right cheek. "I was lucky that the man only scratched me with his knife. Even though it was a scratch, I was pissed. Before the man could apologize, I was beating him up like some crazy animal. I didn't stop until the rest of the crews started to pull me back from that guy."

  


"After that, Genta choose me to be his body guard. He said that I have guts. Before I know it, Genji, Genzou, and Genta were sending me off to all different sort of mission. I somehow became their most trusted man. But..." Cain quickly added when he saw Reiha opening her mouth to ask him a question. "They don't tell me anything. Even though they trust me, they never told me what they did with those girls. And before you wonder why the heck they won't tell me, I have to remind you that the Quarl deals mainly with drug. What the three brothers are doing are done without Cait Sith's approval. And that means, if Cait Sith found out they are acting without his order...bang...there goes their heads. That's why they are afraid to tell anyone about the girl's hiding."

  


"People will still know," said Miyu.

  


"That is why they haven't ship the girls off yet. If Cait Sith finds out, all they have to do is just release those girls and poof...everything is fine. And if Cait Sith questioned them, they are just going to tell him that they intentionally capture those girls so they can force the villagers to listen to their commands. Get what I mean?" Miyu and Reiha nodded their heads. "And that means, there will be no kidnapping or arresting for these past few days...starting with today. Why? Because Gima is coming and so is Aoi. Believe it or not, Gima is actually Cait Sith's lover. She is entirely devoted to Cait Sith and if she found out what the three brothers are up to, she will definitely report it to Cait Sith. That is why the three brothers would have to lie low for a while until she is gone."

  


"Meaning...our mission would have to be postpone till she is gone," said Reiha.

  


"Duo...what is the reason behind Gima's visit," asked Miyu.

  


"As far as I know, they are here to discuss the loading of the new huge shipment they are going to receive." A smile appeared on Cain's face. "If you haven't guess it, the warehouse, right next to the three brother's mansion, is one of Cait Sith's main warehouse." Pride resonated from his voice as he spoke the next sentence. "Even though I don't know how the heck I am going to do it, Van still told me to lead the raid for this warehouse. But before I can do that, I need to stay with the three brother's longer, so I can tell Aoi the location of the second main warehouse. And that is what I am hoping this meeting would tell us."

  


"Why two," Reiha asked automatically.

  


"Because Aoi is in danger," Cain replied grimly. "There are two reasons why Gima is seducing Aoi. First of all, she wants to know how our department operates. The second reason is because she wanted to use Aoi as a scapegoat. Well...not actually a scapegoat. How can I say it..." Cain stood there thoughtfully before he continued. "Actually, I have no idea why Gima is doing this. I think she is trying to break our sprit or something...or she is just doing this to hurt Ranka."

  


"What does Ranka have to do with this operation," asked Miyu.

  


"Ranka is a pawn in our plan. And I got a feeling she already gave Van a piece of her mind, now that she knows what the heck is going on."

  


"As I stated before..."

  


"I'm getting to the point," Cain snapped, interrupting Reiha. "When I said Ranka is our pawn, it means that she is the one that the head in our department have sent to capture Aoi. They sent her because they know she is damn good in her job, and they know that she will do all she can to capture Aoi, if he really did betray them. They also want to cut any ties Aoi have with the police for good, so he can put all of his focus in the Quarl. But...Ranka jump the gun! And I can't believe that Aoi was so stupid that he didn't know that Ranka was following right behind him." Taking a deep breath, he quickly reiterated the events that happened on that night. "Seeing her there basically scared the living daylight out of me! I didn't want to attack her but I was patrolling that area with another guy. If I don't attack her, my cover would've been blown. And that Aoi...I didn't figure out she was wearing a bulletproof vest until, I realized that Aoi was definitely going to shoot her. So I have to drag her to the tip of the pier and push her in when Aoi shot her. That way we can hide her body. But, then I remember that she is wearing a bulletproof vest and that means, when the gun hit her, there won't be any blood. Damn that Aoi...he didn't give me enough time to think and I was too busy trying to cut through Ranka's rope without the other people noticing."

  


"Before I know what the heck was going on, Aoi shot her. I only had time to cut her across the arm, when I was pushing her into the ocean." He looked at Miyu and Reiha and found them looking at him with dismay. "Hey, I have to cut her," he protested. "I know Gima and she is the suspicious type. She is the kind of people that will take the blood to a laboratory and try to figure out whether that blood belonged to Ranka. If I cut myself...she will know that I am Cain. Not only will she find out that the blood does not belong to Ranka, she will start to suspect Aoi." He sighed. "But because I did that, Aoi and Van are not the only one that are dreading to face her!"

  


He shivered slightly. "But most important of it all, I didn't know why Gima wanted to frame Aoi in the first place. Now, I think I do."

  


"Frame Aoi," Miyu echoed.

  


"Yep...frame him," Cain confirmed. "And this is what Aoi have been waiting for. Like I said, there is a new shipment that is going to arrive in these past few days. And when the shipment arrives, the cargos are going to be divided and stored in two warehouses. The first one will be here, and the second one...we don't know. That is what Aoi is going to find out. On that day, Gima is planning to place Aoi in one pier and tell him to help her watch over the shipment. But, in fact, the shipment will actually come in at another location. What Aoi will be watching over is just a small trade. Gima will spread the news of Aoi's trade, so the police will know about it and arrest him. In a way, she could finally get rid of Aoi, now that she knows how our raid operated. And second of all, all of the police attention will be focus on Aoi's arrest that none of them will be smart enough to figure out that Aoi was actually a scapegoat for the bigger shipment. With all of their concentration on something else, the big shipment won't be detected. And that is why, we have to find out where the second warehouse is located at before the shipment actually arrive."

  


"Benefits," asked Miyu. Her eyes landed on his cell phone when it rang.

  


Cain whistled as he started to flip open his cell phone. "A lot. This shipment will bring them in a lot of money. If they lose this shipment, it will be hard on their income. And I mean really hard." He quickly pressed the talk key and placed it on his ear. "Hello," Cain said coldly.

  


"Is Miyu with you?"

  


"WHAT THE HELL!" Everyone on the road turned to look at Cain when he started to curse out loud. Mr. Sato jolted out of his daydream and accidentally startled the horse and caused them to bolt. The sudden acceleration caused Cain to tumbled forward. His cell phone flew away from his hand and hit Reiha on her shoulder when Miyu and her lost their grip on the rail they were sitting on just when the horses started to rage down the road. They both fell down on the cart and to Reiha's annoyance, Cain landed right on top of her. The horses were quickly pulled into a halt under Mr. Sato's expert guiding but by the time the horses have calm down, Cain, Reiha, and Miyu were lying on the bottom of the cart in a pile of heap. 

  


Meanwhile, Larva smiled at his phone with amusement when he heard all of the commotions that were happening on the other side of the line.

  


"Is she with him," Nagi asked anxiously.

  


"I believe the answer is yes," said Larva. Nagi smiled briefly and looked at the passengers that were in the subway. Larva's eyes quickly darted left and right to scan the area they are in. Since he had left Sergeant Satou's office and out of the building, he realized he was being followed. Although it didn't took him long to lose his followers, Larva was alert to any new followers. To his annoyance, he noticed a pair of spies that were standing at the street right across his apartment. He warned Nagi about their presences and within the next few minutes, they were able to lose them in a maze like back alley and make their way to the subway. "So the Quarl is on the move," thought Larva. His attention was brought back to the other line when Reiha's voice fluttered through the phone.

  


"Duo," Reiha said coldly. "Get off!" She placed her hand on his shoulder and shoved him off from her.

  


"May I ask what have caused your outburst," Miyu asked dryly. She slowly brushed her kimono and rose up from the cart's floor. Cain groaned and looked at Reiha as she glared at him. They both slowly rose up from the cart floor. Reiha winced slightly and touched her left leg tenderly.

  


"I just got a call from a devil," Cain replied grimly.

  


"And I thought you want us to be inconspicuous," said Reiha. "You seem to be really successful in accomplishing that." Cain growled at Reiha while he bent downward to pick up his cell phone.

  


"You would have been screaming like a banshee if you were the one that received this damn call," Cain mumbled.

  


"Is everyone alright," asked Mr. Sato as he brought the horses into a steady pace.

  


"Yes we are," said Miyu. Mr. Sato nodded his head and turned the horses down a small dirt path. They could see Mr. Sato's village slowly appearing within their sight.

  


"Here," said Cain into his phone.

  


"Cain," teased Larva with a smile on his face. "I take my eyes off of you for a moment, and you start going around and harassing girls."

  


"What," choked Cain. He quickly looked at Reiha and shook his head. Reiha lifted up her eyebrows and frowned. "That's a insult. That is really an insult. You can say that to me about any girl, but not her."

  


"Then I guess you prefer Miyu instead."

  


"God damn it! You are one annoying bastard! If I..."

  


"Calm down, Duo," Miyu said softly. "Calm down. Attention is not beneficial to us right now."

  


"Let me talk to her," said Larva.

  


"Gladly," Cain said in frustration. "Anything to get rid of you." He thrust the phone to Miyu. "Have fun." Miyu smiled and took his phone from him.

  


"Hello, old man," said Miyu. Her eyes widen in surprise when she heard the voice on the other end.

  


"Old man?" Nagi looked at Larva and found him smiling. "I hope you are joking, Miyu. I don't think I am that much older than you. Besides...how are you doing?"

  


While Miyu talked to Nagi, Reiha watched Cain as he stared straight ahead.

  


"Just as I thought," said Reiha. Cain turned around and looked at her. "You are just as incompetent as I think you are."

  


"And may I ask what did I do to deserve that insult," asked Cain, while trying to suppress his anger and stay a little bit more civilized.

  


"I presume that is Larva on the other line?"

  


"Yeah...but how do you know?"

  


"A brain is wasted upon you. So was your training."

  


"Cut the crap and just get to the point," Cain growled. "Hell forget about being civilized," he thought.

  


"Tracing." At first Cain have no idea what her word meant but after a few seconds of thinking, he finally slapped his hand on his forehead and berated himself for being such a thickhead. He turned back to look at the road when Reiha started to giggle from amusement.

  


"ICAC?" Reiha and Cain immediate turned to Miyu's direction when they heard her word.

  


"Yeah," said Nagi. "A few days ago, Larva informed me about the situation that is happening over there. He had already informed the Chiba police department about the corruption that is going over there, and they have already sent the information to ICAC. Larva thought I might be able to help out with the situation because I have some experience in that department."

  


"Have they found out any information about them?"

  


"Uh...Miyu? If we had found out some evidence against them, don't you think we would have done something about it already? I guess you really haven't recover yet." A smile quickly appeared on Larva's face, while Miyu sighed. Nagi saw Larva's amusement and silently gave the phone to him.

  


"I assume you were just waiting for the right opportunity to strike."

  


"Normally we would, little girl." A small twitched appeared on the corner of Miyu's mouth when she heard Larva's voice coming from the other line. "But this circumstance is different. Although we want to cripple the Quarl's operation, we cannot risk endangering the girls that are within their capture."

  


"I see your point."

  


"Good. Now that was have that point clear off, tell me. How is Cain reacting to your actions?"

  


Miyu smiled and turned to look at Cain. With his back faced toward her, he didn't noticed the query smile she was directing toward him. "He's ecstatic. Don't worry, old man. He said he will do all that he can to help me accomplish my mission." She ignored the choking noise that had erupted from Cain.

  


"That damn Miyu is going to get me killed," thought Cain. It took all of his restrain to remain cool and suppressed the urge to strangle Miyu by her neck. "These girls are really testing my limit!"

  


"I am very happy to hear that news," Larva said stiffly. A slight frown appeared on his face. "And how is your relationship with Reiha going?" The phone line remained silent for a few seconds before Miyu's voice appeared.

  


"I assume you heard her voice during our conversation."

  


"Yes. I heard her voice in our last conversation. And after hearing her voice, I decided to pay Satou a little visit. He was willing to give me all of the information that I needed, that is, after I have given him the right encouragement."

  


"You threaten him," Miyu said with a giggle. "My dear old man. This action could reserve you a space in jail, especially when you are applying this method to a higher superior than you."

  


"Have that reason ever stop you, little girl? I don't believe it ever did. And since I am a few years older than you are, I believe I have more experienced in providing the right encouragement to people that are...hmmm....unwilling to talk." Larva looked at Nagi when he started to chuckle in amusement. "Besides, little girl, I am given the full authority of supervising the mission that is occurring in that area. Reiha's appearance and investigation might hinder our mission. It is my right to know any factors that might ruin our mission." He paused. "And I mean anything, little girl."

  


Miyu looked at the cell phone and blinked innocently. "And what are you implying, old man?"

  


"You know perfectly well what I am implying," Larva said sternly. "Now that you know all of our operation, it would be wise of you to come back and abandon whatever you are planning to do."

  


"Wise?" Miyu giggled slightly. "My dear, I think you use the wrong word. I believe 'safe' is the word you would want to use instead."

  


"Miyu."

  


"You see, my dear. This is where we are similar to each other. You don't like to take order, and neither do I. And beside, my dear old man, you seem to have solved one more case than I have. I will just take this opportunity to even the score." Miyu turned to look at the road ahead. "I'm sorry, my dear, but we are approaching toward our destination. Our little tete-tete would have to continue next time. Good-bye." Miyu quickly hanged up the phone and smiled at Reiha.

  


"I see you both reach an agreement," asked Reiha without looking at her direction.

  


"Yes," replied Miyu. Cain groaned out loud.

  


Meanwhile, on the subway, Larva silently closed the cell phone and placed it back into his pocket. "Didn't work, did it," asked Nagi. His eyes twinkle from amusement.

  


"It was expected," Larva answered. He looked up at the roof of the subway and sighed. "There is one reason why I don't believe in god."

  


"What?"

  


"He never grants my prayers." A small smile appeared on his face. "If God is here, I would pray to him and ask him to stop Miyu from joining in this mission."

  


Nagi snorted. "I think that is even beyond God's capability."

  


"Exactly."

  


********

  


"We're here," said Cain. He looked around him. A frown appeared on his face when he noticed the commotion that was occurring around them as they rode into the village. "And I think there is something wrong over here."

  


"You think," asked Miyu when she noticed some of the people that were running frantically toward the middle of the village. A frown appeared on her face when she noticed the guards have disappeared from the gate. 

  


"I wouldn't know if you didn't tell us," Reiha said sarcastically as she looked at the people that were closing the door.

  


"Would you guys just stop it with the sarcasm and find out what the heck is going on over here," growled Cain. As to answer his curiosity, one of the villager, who was running toward the commotion, stop in mid way when he saw them and ran up toward them.

  


"Mr. Sota," said the young man as he approached them. His eyes landed on Cain and fear appeared on his eyes. Mr. Sato jumped out of the cart and headed toward the other guy before he could run away.

  


"What is going on over here," asked Mr. Sato.

  


"I...I...," stuttered the young man. His eyes maintain on Cain until Cain turned his back toward them. Miyu and Reiha jumped out of the cart and headed toward Mr. Sato. The young man's gaze landed on them and he hissed. "Mr. Sato. What are you doing? Why are you bring two girls back into this village?" He looked at Miyu closely and his eyes widen from surprise. "And isn't that girl one that we found in the sea?"

  


"Uncle," called Reiha. "What is the matter?"

  


"Uncle," squeaked the man.

  


"That's right," Mr. Sato admitted sadly. "Both of them are my nieces. I was trying to bring them to safety when Duo caught up to us."

  


"Then fortune have turned away from you," said the young man in misery. "Because the police just went to your house and are arresting your daughter right now."

  


"WHAT!" Mr. Sato released him and quickly ran toward the crowd. Miyu and Reiha quickly followed him and by the time Cain turned around to look at them, they were already gone. He promptly jumped out of the cart and grabbed the young man by the neck of his shirt.

  


"Where did they go," he coldly demanded. The young man pointed toward Mr. Sato's house and without a word, Cain ran toward that direction.

  


Before Mr. Sato could reach there, he could already hear his wife wailing and screaming. He pushed his way through the crowd and to his horror, the two guards, that were stationed at the gate, were yanking his daughter toward the police car and pushing his wife to the ground.

  


"Let her go," roared Mr. Sato. He rushed up toward them and pounced on one of the man. Before he knew it, he was knocked down to the ground.

  


"Father," screamed Ami. She desperately yanked her hand away from one of the guard and tried to reach to her father. However, the man held on to her tightly and was about to pushed her into the car when a basket hit him squarely on the back of his head. The pain caused him to release Ami. The other guard, who was trying to keep Mr. Sato and Mrs. Sato down on the floor, turned around to intercept Ami as she ran toward them. But before he knew it, Miyu threw her whole body at him and knocked him down on the floor.

  


"What the heck," exclaimed the guard who was rubbing his head. He started to approached Miyu, who was sitting on top of the unconscious guard, but before he could reach her, Reiha swiftly knocked down to the ground by striking him on the back with a wooden board.

  


"Don't touch my sister," growled Reiha. She panted slightly and looked at her Ami, who was helping her father up. Because she was distracted, she didn't noticed the guard pushing himself off from the ground. He grabbed the board from Reiha's hands and yanked it away from her. Reiha's eyes widen in fear and backed away.

  


"Rei," screamed Miyu and rushed toward them. The guard saw her coming and when she reached him, he shoved her hard on the floor.

  


"Miyako," Reiha screamed. She kneeled down toward Miyu. Her eyed flashed with anger as she charged toward the guard. He grabbed her by the hand and yanked her toward him.

  


"I guess you two will be coming with us," he growled. He looked at his friend and found him slowly coming back to his conscious state. He was about to drag a kicking Reiha back into the police car when Cain placed his hand softly on his shoulder and stopped him.

  


"Release the girl," Cain coolly commanded. The guard was so shock that he released Reiha without knowing it. Reiha growled and kick the man on his shin before running back toward Miyu.

  


"Why you..." snarled the guard. He was about to go after Reiha but Cain stopped him.

  


"Go back to the gate and don't do anything," said Cain.

  


"But Duo," said the guard. "Genta ordered us to capture the girl."

  


"Leave," commanded Cain.

  


"We can't," said the other guard, while he rubbed his head and walked up to them. "We have order." Before they knew it, Cain grabbed them each by the neck of their shirt and pulled them toward him. Their eyes flashed with fear when they looked at Cain's angry face.

  


"You will release them. If Genta have any problem with it, tell him that Gima is coming, and if he is wise, he will stop this operation for the moment. If he still have any problem with it, tell him to come and see me." He shook them slightly. "Do you have any more question?" They shook their head. With a sigh, Cain just threw them toward the car. "Now go." The guards look at Cain for a moment before they climbed into their car and drove off. Cain turned to look at the crowd and then at Ami and her family. Reiha and Miyu were staring at him. To his surprise, Ami walked up to him and grabbed him by the hand. Tears fall down on her face.

  


"Thank you," said Ami. "Thank you."

  


Cain looked at her coldly and slapped her hands away. "Don't get your hopes up." Ami shivered when she saw the evil smile on Cain's face. With one last glance at Miyu and Reiha, he turned around and started to walk away. He paused and looked at Mr. Sato and his wife. "Treasure the time that you have with your daughter and your nieces. They will join the other girls soon." Reiha and Miyu went up to Ami and clutched her arms. Ami's eyes still remain on Cain's retreating back when Reiha and Miyu pulled her lightly back to Mr. Sato and Mrs. Sato. The crowds quickly disappeared and the only sound that could be heard was Mrs. Sato's crying.

  


"Go in," Reiha ordered. With the help of Miyu, they softly pushed the family back into the house. After they retreated back in there, Reiha silently guided them to the living room and toward the table. Miyu walked into the kitchen and while the family sat there in shock, she appeared back with some cups of tea. She sat down and handed them each a cup.

  


"That went fairly well didn't it," said Miyu to Reiha. "I have to applaud your acting."

  


"Your appreciation does not concern me," replied Reiha.

  


"Who is she," asked Mrs. Sato. Mr. Sato introduced her and with Miyu and Reiha's help, they explained their situation to Ami and Mrs. Sato. Miyu couldn't help but noticed the relief look that Ami appeared on her face when she heard that Cain was working with them. "Wouldn't that be dangerous," asked Mrs. Sato when they rounded up their story.

  


"Risk is necessary," said Reiha. "But my duty require me to put your safety as top priority." She took out a jade and placed it on the table. "And I am responsible for delivering this jade back to this village." She held it out to them. "A few days ago, a man stumbled into our police department and reported a homicidal case to us. He claimed his daughter, Qin, was killed by Genta, Genji, and Genzou." She noticed the gasp that came from Mr. and Mrs. Sato and Ami. She looked at Miyu for some explanations but found none. Reiha continued on her story with some irritation. "He wasn't able to provide any sufficient evidence, so his report was disregarded. He show disapproval of our conducts and methods and claimed he received the same treatment from Chiba's homicidal police department." She shrugged her shoulders. "Since his case provides no sufficient evidence, his words are not my concern. I didn't reconsider his story until I read about his death in the newspaper on the next day." She slowly placed her cup of tea on the table. "It was a murder."

  


"A murder," echoed Mrs. Sato in disbelief. Reiha nodded her head.

  


"This jade belongs to him." She placed it in Mr. Sato's hand. "Return it." Mr. Sato silently nodded his head.

  


"Is that why you are here," asked Ami. Reiha raised her eyebrow and looked at Ami with amusement. Miyu giggled slightly.

  


"Innocence is similar to inexperience. You can't expect much," said Miyu with a coy smile.

  


Reiha buried her annoyance inwardly before she answered Ami's question. "Yes." They sat there in silence for the moment until Ami spoke to them again.

  


"What are you planning to do now?"

  


"Nothing," said Reiha.

  


"We wait," Miyu replied.

  
  


***The Mansion that night***

  


Cain was standing at one of the corner of the dark living room and thinking to himself when Genta, Genji, and Genzou came storming into the room. He gave them one small glance before closing his eyes.

  


Duo," called out Genta as he switch opened the living room light. His dark brown eyes scan the area and found Duo standing in the shadow. Annoyance appeared on his face when he found Duo ignoring his call. Without looking, Genta tossed his long trench coat on a coat hanger and revealed his well-built body. With a few quick strides, Genta reached toward Cain and looked at him. Although Genta was towering over Cain, Cain just opened his eyes and gave him one little glance before closing his eyes again.

  


"Speak," Cain said.

  


Genta smiled at Duo. Although he was annoyed with Duo's attitude, this was also the quality that he admired the most. He could hear Genji and Genzou growling at Duo's rude behavior but a look from him caused them to scowl and hid their disapproval. "Duo," said Genta gently. "I heard that Gima is coming tonight. Is that true?" Cain opened his eyes and looked at his watch. His gaze went to the window. As to answer his gaze, a flash of car light stream through the window.

  


"Speak of the devil," said Cain. His eyes drifted toward Genji when he cursed out loud. He sank on a sofa and the sofa groaned under his weight. His black eyes were filled with fear and it make his grotesque face even more ugly than it was. His stubby fat hands ran though his already thin hair as he mumbled something. Genzou placed his lanky hand on Genji's shoulder and softly patted him. His eyes landed on Duo and saw him looking straight at him. Duo quickly diverted his gaze from him and hid his discomfort. Although Genzou looked extremely skinny and weak, he knew that Genzou used his appearance to deceive his opponent and overwhelm them with his power. But...Duo smirked inside. Like some of the strong people in this world, they lack the ability to use their brain, and Genzou happened to be one of them.

  


Cain was knocked out of his thought when Genta pushed him toward the door. "Go greet them for us," said Genta. Cain nodded his head and walked out of the living room and passed the stairs. The front door was already open by the servants and Gima and Aoi already have their coats off. They both looked at him as he walked calmly toward them.

  


"Hello...Duo, is it," asked Gima with a smile. Her left arm was snaked around Aoi's right arm and she delivered him a kiss. She raised up her right hand toward Cain. To her surprise and delight, instead of kissing her hand, Cain coldly looked at it and turned back to the direction of the living room.

  


"Follow me," said Cain. He didn't bother to look back to see whether they were following him or not. Gima smiled and nodded her head.

  


"He is special, isn't he," asked Gima. Aoi nodded his head. He was about to lead Gima toward the living room when she stopped him. "I'll be going in there myself. Why don't you wait for me outside, love." Aoi opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut his mouth. He nodded his head silently and turned to get back his coat. Without a word to her, he walked out of the mansion and headed toward the car. Aoi stood there by the car for a moment before he headed toward a tree. Aware of all of the eyes that were observing him, Aoi just leaned his back on the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. He yawned and stretched himself before he went back to his original position.

  


"There's another way to listen to a conversation," Aoi thought to himself as he adjusted the headphone he had put on when he faked his yawn.

  


"Aoi," whispered Cain to the button looking microphone attached to the neck of his coat. He strolled toward his corner and hid within the shadow. "She's alive and she is here." He grimaced. "And she knows what is going on."

  


The first person that came into Aoi's mind was Ranka. And after a quick surge of panic, he suddenly realized that it wasn't Ranka that Cain was referring to. "Then who is he talking about," wondered Aoi. He almost jump up with happiness when he figured out Cain was talking about Miyu. A smile spread across his face at the thought of the news, but it was quickly replaced with a groan when he realized this news also had a down side to it. "Knowing Miyu...this mission...this mission might just get a little bit out of hand and a little bit more interesting." He quickly cut short his musing when he heard Gima's voice coming clearly through his headphone.

  


"Hello boys," greeted Gima. She slithered into the room and gave them each a beautiful smile. Genta was standing behind the little bar, located at the middle of the right wall. He looked at Genzou, who sat at one of the sofa in the middle of the room, while he was mixing a drink for Gima. Genji laughed nervously when Gima tapped him softly on the shoulder before she sat on the chair that is right next to her. She silently eyed Genzou as he stared at her with desolated eyes.

  


"What kind of drink would like," asked Genta.

  


Gima waved her hand nonchalantly and lit up a cigarette. "Any will do." She looked around the room and spotted Duo hiding right in the shadow. If it weren't for the moonlight that was shining through the window, she would have missed him. "Hello Duo. How have you been?" Her right eyebrow raised up with surprised when Duo just opened his eyes and just looked at her, before closing his eyes again.

  


"That Duo is going to get us kill," thought Genji with sweat pouring down his face. Even Genta swore softly under his breath and quickly brought the drink to Gima. Without looking at him, she took the drink from his hand and continued to look at Duo with a predatory gaze. Her mouth lifted into a smile as she took a sip of the glass of tequila in her hand. Feeling the gaze of someone on him, Duo opened his eyes and saw Gima staring at him with a look he didn't like. He quickly turned his head away from her and heard her laughing out loud.

  


"Your woman is a damn cold slut," Cain whispered harshly into the microphone.

  


"She's not my woman," Aoi said firmly. "The only woman I care about is Ranka, and with my kind of luck, she is going to kill me if she ever see me again."

  


"Hey, don't make me laugh man," said Cain. "You don't want me to blow up our covers."

  


"Then shut up and let the other do the talking."

  


Cain sulked when he heard what Aoi had said and leaned back on his corner. He looked at Gima and Genta's direction and found them chatting something nonsense. He touched his watch on the wrist and increased the sensitivity of the microphone. Genta took out a bottle of red wine and poured one glass to Gima.

  


"I heard you boys were enjoying yourselves over here," said Gima while swirling the glass of wine in her hand, before taking a sip. Genzou and Genji stiffen, while Genta smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders.

  


"It's alright," said Genta.

  


"Alright, huh. Would it make it better if you can find a way to kill off all of the girls that you capture without actually killing them. Am I right?" Genji, who was pouring himself a glass of wine, accidentally drop his glass on the floor and shattering it. Genzou continued to stare at her while Genta leaned back on his chair and looked at her shrewdly. "I'm right, ain't I?" Gima giggled.

  


"No use hiding it since you know about it," said Genta. He looked at Duo and addressed him. "Go outside and wait for us."

  


"No need," said Gima. Duo had moved from his position but a wave from Gima's hand caused him to go back to his position and wait there in silence. She drummed her fingers on the sofa's wooden armrest. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you." The only sound in the room was the drumming of her fingers. "I'm waiting."

  


"Because you need them." Gima quickly snapped her attention to Duo. Duo sighed and opened his eyes to look at her.

  


"I could always replace them."

  


"Yes...you can do that. But you can't kill them right now, because you need them to look over your shipment." He tapped his feet on the floor. "The police, in this area, only listen to these three, and they know this area the best. If you kill them right now, it will be your lost."

  


A smirk appeared on her face while she took a long draw from her cigarette. She leaned back on her sofa and looked up at the ceiling. The smoke slowly rose from her mouth. "Then I can kill two of them and leave one alive." Genji shivered slightly and looked back and forth between Genta and Genzou.

  


Duo looked at Genta and found him staring at him. "You can't do that either. If you kill one of them, the others won't work for you." Gima snapped up from her chair and glared hard into Cain's cold eyes.

  


"Are you threatening me? Do you think I am so desperate that I need these three cowards to watch over that shipment for me?"

  


"Yes." Admiration filled Gima mind when she noticed the unwavering stare that Duo was returning back to her. "Yes, I am threatening you. And yes, you need their help." A smile broke out on her face and she laughed out loud. By the time she was through, Duo had already retreated back to his old position.

  


"Alright, if you say so yourself," said Gima. She sat back down on the chair. A whoosh of air escaped from Genji when he let go of the air that he was holding. Genta looked at Duo with appreciation. Gima looked at them and took out a gun. A wave of disgust washed over her when she noticed that Genzou was still staring back at her with an empty expression. She ignored him and turned to smile at Genji, who was watching her gun with fear. "I'll let you boys go for now. But if you ever do something that isn't under Cait Sith's order..." The three of them flinched when she shot the flower vase that was located across the room. "I won't have any mercy." After flipping her gun, she puts it safely back into her holster. "As for the girls...I'll let this batch pass. I don't want to hear you catching anymore of the girls, understood?"

  


"Perfectly," said Genji. "W..we absolutely understand."

  


"Then that is a good boy." She reached for her glass of wine, which she placed on the table before. "Now, let's talk about something pleasant shall we? How about the shipment?"

  


"Don't worry about it," Genta assured. "I have already told my boys what to do. They know how to handle it. I will also be supervising the operation."

  


Gima nodded her head and took another draw from her cigarette. "Then how about the other land next to the pier? Have you got that property yet?"

  


"The old man would not sell it to us," said Genzou in a monotone.

  


"We were thinking...to...uhm...take his daughter today and threaten him to sell it to us," said Genji. "But...but..." He pointed his finger at Duo. "He stopped us. He was the one..." He quickly shut his mouth when Gima slammed her hand on the table.

  


"I saw what happened," said Gima. "And he didn't do anything wrong. Cait Sith ordered you to remain inconspicuous in this area. But what have you been doing?! Instead of listening to him, you went and draw attention to yourselves!" She took out her gun and aimed it at Genji's forehead. "And most of all, you don't even admit to your own fault!"

  


  


"I won't kill him, yet." She slowly put back her gun and looked at Genji's trembling form. "Not yet." She picked up her glass of wine and looked at Duo. Gima was not surprise to find him with his eyes closed. "As for the land...get it. I don't want you to catch anymore attention than you have already done."

  


"Th..then wha...what do you think we should do," asked Genji.

  


Gima flicked the ashes from her cigarette and gave them a cold smile. "Marry her." She looked at them. "I believe none of you are married yet." When they said nothing, she nodded her head. "Good. Once you married her, getting the property will be quite easy. With his daughter, legally in your hand, I think you can easily influence the old man to sell his land to you."

  


"Marry her," echoed Genzou.

  


"Mr. Sato...he won't give us his daughter that easily," said Genta.

  


"I think we can influence him," said Gima. She looked at Duo and smiled at him. "In fact, I have the ideal man to sent to do this. Duo." Duo looked at her. "I believe you can accomplish this task. Wait...there was two more girls that were there too, right?" Duo reluctantly nodded his head. Gima smile became wider and she looked at Genji and Genzou. "The more the merrier. Ask for their hand in marriage too. I expect they will help in convincing the old man to sell his property."

  


Duo cursed inward and he could hear Aoi muttering in anger. "I am not suitable for this mission."

  


"You are being too modest," said Gima. She stood up from her chair and blew him a kiss. "I expect to hear good news from you." She bent downward and kissed Genji, Genta, and Genzou. "I assure you, those girls are quite a looker." She headed toward Duo but before she reached him, he turned his back to her and quickly yanked off his earpiece. He growled in disgust when Gima wrapped her arms around him.

  


"Don't touch me." Gima smiled and released Duo.

  


"If that is what you want. But...I do love to break a man." She winked at him when Duo turned to look at her. Gima moved in for a kiss, but Duo gripped her firmly on her shoulders and pushed her away.

  


"Your spell might work for some men, but it doesn't work on me."

  


"It will work," said Gima. "It will work." She laughed and started to head out of the door. "I will expect you boys to fulfill your part of the bargain. Once you have the shipment secure, give me a call. I will be watching over the shipment at Tokyo Pier."

  


"Wait...aren't you suppose to be in Chofu's pier," asked Genta.

  


"Not the main shipment," said Gima. "Aoi will be watching over a smaller shipment for me at Chofu's pier." A cruel smile appeared on her face. "And I think that will be the last time I will be seeing him." Gima giggled and waved her hand at them before stepping out of the room. Her voice floated back into the room from the hallway. Genta, Genji, and Genzou sighed in relief when the door closed after her.

  


"Are we really getting marry," asked Genji.

  


"If you want your head to be on your shoulder, then yes," said Genta.

  


"I'm getting marry," thought Genzou. Somehow, an query smile appeared on his face.

  


"But....but...I don't want to marry any ugly girls," said Genji.

  


"Whether you like it or not, you will have to get marry," said Genta. "We can always divorce them. Remember, Gima said that we could use the girls to get the land. That means...she is not expecting us to be kind to them." He poured himself out a glass of wine and drank it all in one long swallow. "And beside...think of it as free sex. Just think of them as temporary prostitute." He smiled at them. "We get to have sex without paying them. Just think it like that and it wouldn't be a problem."

  


"I..I guess...I guess you're right," said Genji. He turned to look at Duo. "Are they pretty?"

  


Duo frowned at them. "I have no opinion in regarding to that matter."

  


"Pretty or not," said Genta. "We will have to marry them. Duo...I guess you will have to be the one to convince them. I think it will be your own benefit to accomplish this task."

  


"If you don't want to marry them," Duo said slowly. "You can have them sign a fake marriage license. They won't have to know about it. After you got the property, you can reveal that you were never legally married and that your certificate of marriage if fraud, so you can throw them out of your house without paying any alimony."

  


Genta snapped his finger and stood up from his chair. He patted Duo's back heartily. "Good thinking! I've never thought of that!"

  


"That's right," said Genji. He struggled from his chair and with a last hard tug, he finally got himself off the chair. "We don't have to pay them alimony."

  


"I'll get the fake license," said Duo.

  


"Thanks," said Genta. "I don't know what we will do without you."

  


Duo nodded his head and walked away. "You have no idea," he thought to himself. He quickly walked up the stairs and strolled toward his bedroom. He plopped back down on the bed and groaned. "And hell break loose. I'm going to kill Miyu and Reiha!!!!"

  
  


***The Next Day***

  


Ami and Miyu silently set the table for breakfast, while Reiha sat there in deep contemplation. Usually, by this time, Mr. Sato would be out in the sea with his crew. However, today he was sitting on the floor and near the table, while watching them with a blank stare. He didn't startled out of his stare until Mrs. Sato laid her hand on his shoulder and softly told him to eat the food that was before him.

  


They were just clearing the table when the door to their house slammed right open. Mrs. Sato dropped the dishes in her hand when she gasped, and they quickly shattered on the wooden floor. Mr. Sato quickly stepped in front of Ami. And to Miyu's annoyance, Reiha stepped protectively in front of her. All of their attention was focused on Duo as he started to walk into their house with two other men.

  


"Good morning," said Duo. He paused at the entrance and turned to look at his followers. "You wait out here."

  


"But...but...Genta told us to follow you," said one of the man.

  


"I don't like to work in front of other people," said Duo. "Leave, and I will do my job. If you don't leave, it will be fine with me. You will just have to take my place, instead. So what is your choice?" The two men mumbled something incoherent and quickly turned and walked back out into the street. "Wait for me at that building across the street." Duo looked at them for a while and made sure they were standing at where he commanded them to be at before he turned and closed the door. Fear and horror flashed into Ami, Mr. Sato, and Mrs. Sato eyes when Duo strolled calmly toward them. Miyu looked at him with amusement, while Reiha stared at him coldly.

  


"Wha...what d..do...you wa..want," asked Mrs. Sato.

  


"Me...that is a good question," said Duo. "First of all, I want to kill Miyu and Reiha because they sure got themselves into some bloody damn mess," Duo hissed at the two girls that happened to be the main cause of his insomnia for last night. "And worst of all, they have to drag me right into it too. What the hell did I do to deserve this????"

  


"Cain...speak," said Miyu. A smile tugged on her mouth when she noticed how Mrs. Sato and Ami were standing there with their mouth wide open at Duo's outburst. "Oh yes....watch your language."

  


"Watch my language....watch my language....we don't have time to worry about that!" He paced back and forth while he shook his head. He stopped suddenly and sighed. "Alright...I will have to tell you guys what the heck is going on but...first of all, you must promise me you will not kill me when you hear the news."

  


"Whether we promise you or not, you will tell us," said Reiha.

  


"I don't give a damn about you," snapped Cain. "What I am scare about are the others."

  


"Speak," Miyu softly commanded.

  


"Alright already! You..." He pointed at Ami. The he turned to point his finger at Miyu and Reiha. "And you two...are fortunate enough...well...not exactly what I will call a fortune...but you gals have been lucky enough to earn the privilege of being the three brother's wives!" Miyu raised her right eyebrow in amusement while Reiha's cold exterior shattered and was replaced with anger. Mr. Sato, his wife, and Ami stare at him in awe and in total shock. "Should I start congratulating you beautiful girls?"

  


His jokes were cut short when Reiha jumped up from the floor and grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. "What did you do," she growled.

  


"My daughter...marry," screamed Mr. Sato while Reiha was threatening Cain. "No! I won't let that happen! No!"

  


"Not Ami! Not Ami," wailed Mrs. Sato. Ami, who had finally let the news sink into her head, fainted dead away in Mrs. Sato's arm. Only Miyu was sitting there calmly and watching the whole scene with a smile.

  


"Hey, witch," said Cain while glaring back at Reiha. "I didn't do anything. Gima was the one that wanted you girls hitched."

  


"Then why didn't you stop her," roared Mr. Sato. He stormed forward and shook Cain angrily.

  


Miyu rapped the table sharply. "Be quiet," she said firmly. Although her voice was softer than their yelling, it managed to catch everyone's attention. Mr. Sato loosened his grip on Cain, but to Cain's dismay, Reiha continued to hold a tight grip on him. Mrs. Sato was still sobbing but it had decreased from its original hysterical wailing. A serious expression was plastered on Miyu's face as she eyed each one of them. "If you have no intention of dying, I would suggest you all to sit down and approach this matter calmly."

  


"Calmly," shouted Mr. Sato. "It is my daughter..." In a flash Miyu stood up from the floor and slapped Mr. Sato sharply across the right cheek. Mrs. Sato screamed out loud, while Mr. Sato was standing there in shock.

  


"Your daughter is not the only one that is put into this situation," Miyu said coldly. "Yelling would not help the matter." She slowly sat back down on the floor. Her eyes diverted sharply to Reiha and Cain. "Blaming other people will not help the situation, either." She giggled slightly. "And my dear Reiha, Cain will charge you for sexual harassment if you continues to hold on to him in such an affectionate way." Reiha released him and looked at Miyu. Her scowled disappeared and her face was replaced with a impassionate face.

  


"We must calmly talk over this matter," said Reiha. She ignored the little smile Miyu was directing toward her direction.

  


Cain was straightening up his shirt, while he slowly sat down on the floor. "Yeah...calmly. Let's see you guys acting like that for a change." He looked at Miyu. "Glad you are at least sane enough to stop them from killing me. But next time, can you react faster before I am almost choked to death?!"

  


Miyu innocently looked at him and smile. "But my dear Cain, seeing you suffer is one of the reason why I love you so much."

  


"Oh hell! I don't want to hear anymore words coming out of your mouth," growled Cain with great annoyance. "And besides, lets get back to the main point. And before I start...someone please wake up sleeping beauty. We don't have the whole day." Miyu and Reiha turned to look at the unconscious Ami that was lying in Mrs. Sato's arms. With a few sharp shakes and applying smelling salt to her, they managed to bring her back to the conscious world. Her eyes widen in fear when her gaze landed on Cain. "Oh hell no. Don't you dare faint on me again. If you do, I will drop you into a bucket of freezing water. Just kidding!" Cain quickly added the last phrase when he saw the angry look on Mr. Sato's face.

  


"Anyways, now that all of you are wide awake," started Cain. "Lets talk about the horrible mess that we somehow got into. As most of you know, Gima drop by yesterday."

  


"Who's Gima," asked Ami.

  


"Girls...explain it to her when I am gone," said Cain. "Don't have time to tell you right now, okay?" Ami nodded her head. "Anyways...she found out what the boys were doing...and what the hell does this have to do with your marriage anyways?!"

  


"You tell us," Miyu said dryly.

  


"Alright...to make this short, Gima wanted the other land that is next to the pier. But you..." He pointed his finger at Mr. Sato. "You refuse to sell them that land. Usually that will be good but this time it backfire. Gima...and I don't know how the heck her brains work but that b...." Cain looked at Ami and found her innocently looking at him. Miyu giggled slightly when Cain swallowed his curse. "Er...I mean that beauty didn't want us to take the land from you by force. She didn't want you to spill the bean on her and tell the police that they force you to sell your land, if you ever run into a policeman that is not under the three brother's control." He looked at Miyu and Reiha and pointed at them. "Like them."

  


"Incompetent and rude," Reiha said coolly.

  


"And you are just a pain in the a....side," Cain retorted. Miyu giggled when Cain banged his fist on the table. "Da...argh...this is harder that I thought it will be! Arg!!! Never mind! Anyways..Gima thought that it will be best if they just take your land by having your daughter marry off to one of the buffoon." He pointed at Miyu and Reiha. "Sorry girls...you were just the side dish. She happen to saw our little performance and probably decided to do you a favor by finding a husband for you." He ignored the glare Reiha was directing toward his direction. "She is hoping to swindle the property from you once you got marry." He sighed. "Believe me, the three brothers didn't want to marry you as much as you don't. But...I can't say the same thing once they see how you three look."

  


"Is that a compliment," asked Miyu with a smile.

  


"Yeah...I guess it is," said Cain. "But I bet the three brothers will be running once they discover Miyu and Reiha's foul attitude."

  


"I don't care about their attitude," said Mrs. Sato. "I just want my daughter to be safe."

  


"I'll give them the property," said Mr. Sato. "If it is the property they want, then they can have it." He stood up to get the deed but Cain stopped him by placing his hand on his arm.

  


"I won't work. The three brothers will marry them because Gima ordered them. And besides, they don't want to make any risk and have you running to the police and telling them that they force you to sell your land to them."

  


"I won't do that," said Mr. Sato desperately. "I won't tell. I swear."

  


"They won't believe in you. Besides...like I said, Gima ordered them. They don't dare to oppose her order...especially when she found out their activities over here. But the most important reason of all, you will end up blowing my cover. How the heck am I going to explain to Genta when I go to them with the deed in my hand? To them, I am a person with few words and there is no way I am going to tell you that they want to marry your daughter just because you were to stubborn to give them the deed. That doesn't fit the character that I am acting, and before you know it, they will start to suspect me and our whole operation are suddenly at a risk of being exposed." He tapped Mr. Sato softly on the arm. "Do you understand?"

  


"Then what can we do," Mr. Sato asked in despair.

  


"I've already thought about it already," said Cain with a proud smile. "I convinced the three brothers to actually use fake marriage license. So...in actuality, you won't be marry to them...legally."

  


"And what is your plan, Cain," Miyu asked softly.

  


"How do you know?"

  


"You look eager."

  


Mr. Sato banged his hand on the table. "I am not going to let my daughter marry any of those monsters!"

  


"We need your help," Miyu calmly. "To save your village and to put these people in jail, we will need your cooperation on this matter." She looked at Ami. "I understand your hardship." She tapped her finger on the table a few times before she started to speak again. "The decision is yours. We won't force you."

  


"She will help us," Reiha said flatly.

  


"Remember your duty," said Miyu. "Your duty is to protect the civilians."

  


"It is also my duty to accomplish this mission."

  


"While risking a civilian's life?"

  


"Her life is not my concern." Miyu and Reiha coldly stared at each other.

  


"And here I thought my training was useless," Cain said with sarcasm in his voice. "What happen to yours?"

  


"I will go," Ami said quietly but firmly. "I'll do whatever I can to help my village."

  


"Thank you," Miyu said politely. Reiha just silently nodded her head. "Now Cain, would you tell us your plan?"

  


"Uh...sure. Okay...here it goes." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "The trade is going to happen a week from today." Ami, Mr. Sato, and Mrs. Sato looked at Cain in confusion while Miyu and Reiha nodded their heads in understanding. "It will occur at around eleven o'clock at night. And this is where I come in. Remember what I told you before? Remember that I told you I am in charge of the raid once we found out where the other warehouse is located at?"

  


"It's quite obvious you have found the other location," said Reiha. "Now, stop wasting our time and get to the point."

  


"Have you ever heard that patience is a virtue?" Reiha gave him a icy glare and Cain smiled sweetly at her. "Anyways...like what she said, we know where the location is. Aoi will try to find a way to tell Ranka about it and as for me, I will stay here and wait for the trade to come so I can do the raid."

  


"And you plan to have the marriage on that particular day," Miyu deduced. "What reason do you have for having the wedding on that day instead of having it after the raid? We would have the three brothers in prison and the ability to freely search their house for evidence for the crime they have committed in this village."

  


"I know that," Cain agreed. "But the main problem with that plan is that they need the land for the trade to occur. You see, the stupid land that they brought didn't allow them full access to the pier. The oversize ship that is loaded with the good isn't able to dock over there. They need that land to dock and move the good onto the land." He grinned at Mr. Sato. "I guess that is why you didn't sold that land to him in the first place, right?"

  


"Yes," Mr. Sato affirmed.

  


"You see what I mean? They need the land for the trade. And to get the land, they will have to marry you gals." He shifted from his seat and smiled when Ami gave him a cup of tea. "Thank you. Anyways...the best option that they have is to get hitch with you as soon as possible. That way, they will have time to...err...convince you into selling...no...giving the land to them. But...I think I can convinced them to marry on the same day as the raid."

  


"Do you have a plan," asked Reiha.

  


"Err...haven't thought of one yet."

  


"Then listen," Miyu commanded. "You will tell them that the marriage will take place on the day of the trade. The marriage will serve as a diversion for the activities that are happening at the pier. You will tell them that you will help them supervise the operation. You will also tell them that the land they need will automatically be part of their properties because Mr. Sato's daughter is already his wife. They could claim that their wife has given them the full right to use the land if anyone questioned them about it. Do you understand?"

  


Cain thoughtfully nodded his head. "I think that will work. Yeah...I think that will work. So...all you gals have to do is to wait for us to start the raid and then..."

  


"We are not some damsels waiting to be rescue," said Reiha. "You have your raid, and I will have my own investigation. Once I returned back to the room with..." She hesitated. "With my husband..." Cain started to smirk but a glare from her wipe it off of his face. "I will knock him out and conduct my own part of the investigation."

  


"Hold on," complained Cain. "If you do that, you might blow up our cover."

  


"I will assist you," Miyu volunteered. She ignored the bewildered look on Cain's face. "After I rendered my own partner unconscious, I will go and assist Ami." She turned to look at Ami. "Do what you can to hinder him until I arrive. Do you understand?"

  


Ami looked a little bit pale but she nodded her head. "Hold on a minute," exclaimed Mr. Sato. "What if my daughter got rape before you arrive?"

  


"I can assure you that your daughter will not be rape before I get over there." Miyu turned to address Cain. "Draw me a map of the mansion. Give me specific details in regarding to the location of each of the brother's room and the guards that are station around there. Also, while you are drawing, give us your opinion in regarding to where you think they would hide the evidence to incriminate them for the crime they have committed against the girls."

  


"Oh hell," growled Cain. "You are placing me and yourselves in a huge mine field. One little wrong step and this whole thing can blow up in our face and blast us to bits and pieces while we are at it."

  


"Draw," commanded Reiha.

  


"Alright! Just give me some paper and pen." Ami went to fetch some paper while Reiha harshly placed her pen right in Cain's hand. "Anyways," said Cain when he waited for Ami to returned with the paper. "The room to Genta is located in the west wing." He pointed his hand at Ami when she returned back with the papers and handed them to him. "That is where she is going to be because Genta choose her to be his bride." He started to draw on the paper. "The west wing and the east wing are separated with a main hallway. The office of Genta is located right next to the stairs of the main hallway. Don't bother checking in there. I check that room over and over again and I didn't find anything in there. As for Genzou and Genji's room, they are located in the east wing. They are each located at the end of the hallway and away from each other. In between their room is the storage. I haven't check that room, so, it might be in there. As for who is with who, Miyu got Genji, the fatso, and Reiha got Genzou."

  


"There are always two guards placed at each of the brother's room," Cain continued. "So, if you need to do some traveling around the house, then you will also have to knock them out." Cain circled the storage room and the three brother's room, when he finished sketching out the main plan for that floor. "These areas are the only damn places I haven't check. You might find what you are looking for over there. If you can't, then it means that the incriminating evidence will have to be somewhere else. And that...I can't help you." He tossed the finished map to them. "Here." Reiha frowned when Cain slapped the pen into her hand. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." He took out a piece of paper and gave it to Miyu. "Here is my cell phone number. Call me when you guys are done beating up everyone and snooping around. That way, I can make sure you are out of harm and I can start my raid."

  


Miyu nodded her head and rose up from the floor when Cain started to head for the door. "Now that we have everything settle," said Cain. "I think I better start praying to god that this will work. Man...you girls make my life into a living hell." He took two deep breath and opened the door. He hardened his look and nodded his head to his two comrades. They approached him slowly and Cain took this opportunity to looked at Miyu and Reiha. He winked at them and called out to them in an icy tone. "We will be expecting you." Miyu nodded her head in understanding before Cain closed the door.

  


"How did it go, Duo," asked one of the guys when he reached Cain.

  


"The wedding will take place on the night of the trade," Cain replied.

  


"But...but...the land. We need the land before that."

  


"Are you questioning me," Cain asked dangerously. When both of the men shook their heads, he turned to head back to the mansion. "It wouldn't be hard to convince those three blockheads to agree to my plan," thought Cain. "I just hope that this plan pulls off or else..." He grimaced slightly. "I don't even want to think what would happen if it didn't."

  


***Tokyo Police Office***

  


Spartoi groaned and tossed the finished file into the already overflow box. The file slid off from the pile and landed on the floor. He looked at Lemures and found him squinting his eyes to read the file that was in his hand.

  


"Hey, stop slacking off," scolded Ichiro. He handed another file to Spartoi and Spartoi reluctantly took it from his hand.

  


"Are you sure this is what Van told us to do," Spartoi asked as he opened another file. "I think I am going to be blind."

  


"I think I already am," Lemures mumbled. He rubbed his eyes and tossed his finish file into the pile. He let it slide down on the floor. "I am suppose to help out in the laboratory. This is not what I sign up for."

  


"As long as you are under this department and as long as people think you are dead, you are stuck here," said Ichiro. He handed another file to Lemures. "And you will have to read these files whether you like it or not." Lemures groaned and opened the file.

  


"Here," said Ranka. She handed a cup of coffee to Lemures. "You can rest until you finished it." Lemures happily took the cup from her and closed his file. Spartoi looked at her hopefully and was happy to closed his file when Ranka told him to take a break too. She bent downward to Ichiro and whispered into his ear. "If Van knew that you were using Spartoi and Lemures to do your portion of the job, he will not be happy about it."

  


Ichiro shrugged his shoulder. "He doesn't have to know, right?"

  


"He won't know, unless you continue to work them like slaves."

  


"Alright, I won't!" Ranka smiled at him and patted him on the head. "I'm not a child, you know," Ichiro growled and tried to move away from her hand. He flipped open another file and before he could start reading it, he noticed someone familiar was walking into their department. "Ranka," he exclaimed when he realized who that person was. "Look, it's Den! Remember Den Connell?" The man, who Ichiro was pointing at, turned to look at them. A smile appeared on his face when he saw Ranka and Ichiro.

  


"Yo, dude," he said as he approached them. Ichiro jumped up from his seat and ran up Den to give him a hearty hug. "How have you been doing?"

  


"Fine, Den," Ichiro replied.

  


"Hello, Den," said Ranka. She gave Den a small hug and smiled at him.

  


"Hello, Ranka," Den greeted. He looked her over and whistled. "You sure look pretty." He patted Ichiro right on the shoulder. "And you look good too. I haven't seen you guys for...hmmm...more than six years?"

  


"Yeah," Ichiro agreed. "We haven't seen you since you quitted the dojo and moved back to America. How have you been doing?"

  


"Fine. Nothing big. I am currently getting my college degree." He grinned at Ichiro and Ranka. "Glad to see you both achieved your dream. It must be cool to be able to go out and hunt for criminals."

  


"Well...not exactly." Ichiro looked at his desk and sighed. "Sometimes you get stuck with the paper works. And talking about paper works, I have to get these files done by five." He patted Den on the shoulder.

  


"In that case, I won't bother you. Maybe we can catch up some other time."

  


"Sure," Ichiro responded enthusiastically. "When I have time." He looked at the piles of files on his desk and frown. "Can't say when though." He nudged Ranka and received a frown from her. "But Ranka, over here, has all of the time she need. Why don't you talk to her."

  


"Alright," said Den. He waved good-bye to Ichiro and turned to look at Ranka. Ranka smiled at him and directed him to her desk.

  


"Why don't you sit down," Ranka suggested as she pulled a chair toward her desk.

  


"Thank you," said Den. He sat down on the chair and looked around. "You guys seem busy."

  


"Sometimes," said Ranka. "How long have to came back, Den?"

  


Den shrugged his shoulders. "I've been back here since last week. I'm taking a vacation off from my schoolwork and I was planning to visit the dojo when I came back. I didn't expect to see it blown into pieces."

  


"Yes," Ranka said sadly. "It was a pity."

  


"It is." For a moment, they sat there in a gloomy silence. Den finally broke the silence when he asked Ranka a question. "Do you know how I know where to find you?" Ranka shook her head and he grinned. "I know because I happened to ran into Aoi today and we just barely had lunch together a few hours ago." He didn't noticed that Ranka suddenly became fairly ridged in her seat. "And he told me that I can find you over here."

  


"Did he," Ranka said dryly.

  


"Yep. I thought for sure he was going to be a cop but he told me he is doing some business." He leaned backward on his chair and smiled at Ranka. "I told him that I will be leaving next week and he said it will be cool to have a get together at the dojo. He told me to invite you. Do you think you can go?"

  


Ranka raised her eyebrow and nodded her head. "Good," Den continued. "Since the dojo was destroyed, Aoi said it will be best if we meet at Yuki's pond."

  


"Yuki's pond," Ranka whispered.

  


"You know where it is, right," Den asked Ranka.

  


"Yes, I know where it is. That is where I first met Aoi."

  


"You did? I thought you both met at the dojo," Den said thoughtfully. "Anyways, legend said that pond is haunted by a vampire called Yuki. It said that she like to lure men over there and then kill them. That is why, whenever it is time for sunset, the pond would look like it is filled with blood." He shivered. "That is why I never went there. The crazy thing is that, Aoi wanted me to check that place out."

  


"Since Yuki like to lure men over there," Ranka reasoned. "And you are a man. Are you suggesting that I should check that place out?"

  


"Huh?" Den looked at Ranka in confusion. "I've never thought of that."

  


Ranka smiled and stood up. "It's alright. I will look that place over and tell you whether we will have the meeting over there. It shouldn't be a problem since Aoi and I constantly went there in the past and nothing have happened to both of us. But none the less, it might not be suitable after the explosion have occurred." Ranka took his hand and shook it. "How can I contact you?"

  


"What? Oh...here is my phone number," Den said in a daze. He quickly wrote his telephone on a piece of paper and gave it to Ranka. "Why did you suddenly became so business like?"

  


Ranka smiled and pointed her finger toward Van's door. It was opened and Van was looking at everyone that was working in the office. "Because of him." Den nodded his head in understanding and quickly stood up from his chair.

  


"I get it." He shook Ranka's hand again before he walked toward the door. "I'll talk to you later, then." Ranka nodded her head and waved good-bye to him. When he was gone, Ranka walked back into the conference room and went to get her bag. She looked around the room and grimace. The room was scattered with Spartoi and Lemures clothing and their socks were lying at everywhere. The only place that seemed decent enough was the corner where she occupied. She took out her bag and quickly pulled her hair upward. After she have clipped it up, she put a cap on her head. Ranka walked toward Lemures part of the room and grabbed one of his clean jacket and put it on. Before she left the room, she checked her reflection in the mirror. She took a sunglasses and put it on before she walked out of the room. Everyone ignored her as she strolled out of the office and toward the elevator. As she waited for the elevator to reach to her floor, she took a piece of gum from her pocket and popped it in her mouth. When the elevator reached her floor, she walked in there and silently pressed for the ground floor while chewing her gum. Once she had reached outside, she looked around her and found no one following her. Ranka hailed for a taxi and walked in there.

  


It took more than an hour to reach to her destination. She quickly paid the taxi driver for the fee and told him to wait for her to return before she plunged into the wood. In fifteen minutes, Ranka reached the dojo and was looking at its ruin. A tear fell down from her face as she observed the ruin. "Forgive him, sensei," Ranka whispered a prayer. "He wouldn't have done this if he have any choice." She closed her eyes for a moment and stood there in silence. When she could hear no one lurking around that area, she bowed her head three times before she headed straight to Yuki's pond. During her journey, she paused a few times to listen to her surrounding and only continued when she could hear no one following her.

  


By the time she reached the pond, the sun was already setting. Ranka wrapped her jacket tighter around her and looked at the crimson pond. Little ripples appeared on the surface of the water when the wind softly rustle the tree leaves and caused them to fall down on to the pond. Ranka looked around her and silently walked toward a pile of rocks that was near the shore of the pond. She sat down on it and looked at the pond. Her fingers tapped softly on the surface of the rocks. "This is where Aoi and I always meet," she thought. A sad look appeared on her face as she looked downward. Her eyes widen when she noticed something was wedged in between the crack in the pile of rocks. She bent downward to tie her shoelace. When she straightened up from her position, the object was safely in her pocket. She gave one last glance at the lake before she headed back to the dojo. Ranka gave three more bows to the dojo before she headed back to the main road. The taxi was still where she left it and she got on it quickly. After another hour of drive, she finally reached back to the police office. Ranka paid the driver his money and headed straight into the police office. When she reached up to the drug department, Ichiro, Lemures, and Spartoi were pacing around the room anxiously. They looked relief when they saw her.

  


"Where have you been," asked Ichiro.

  


"And why did you steal my jacket," asked Lemures.

  


Ranka smiled at them and silently walked toward a computer. She took out the object that she have found in the rock and placed it on the desk. Spartoi looked at it and frown.

  


"What's with this disk?"

  


"This disk," started Ranka as she waited for the computer to boot up. "Is the answer to all of our questions."

  


***Night time in Mr. Sato's village***

  


"Ami," Mr. Sato said nervously. "I...I."

  


"It's alright father," Ami said softly. "I will be fine."

  


Mrs. Sato turned to look at Miyu. "You will take care of my daughter, right," she whispered. Miyu silently nodded her head. Mrs. Sato turned to hug her daughter and started to cry softly. Reiha looked away and silently adjusted her white and blue kimono. As Mrs. Sato and Mr. Sato continue to talk to Ami, Miyu walked toward the window and lifted the curtain upward. She looked out to the mansion and toward the pier. The wind blew her frizzy brown hair softly around her face and her beautiful red kimono fluttered around her.

  


"Tonight," Miyu said determinedly. "Tonight." She let the curtain down when there was a sharp rap on the door to their house. Cain's voice drifted into the house.

  


"It's time." Mrs. Sato clutched tightly to her daughter while Mr. Sato clutched his fists in frustration. Miyu looked at Reiha and they both walked up to Ami. Miyu softly pulled Mrs. Sato away from Ami, while Reiha took Ami's hand and led her to the door. Miyu restrained Mrs. Sato when Reiha opened the door. Cain looked at them before he grabbed Ami's hand roughly and dragged her to the car. Ami yelped and Mr. Sato was about to jump Cain when Miyu restrained him.

  


"Don't," Miyu commanded softly. "Just wait." She patted him softly on the shoulder before she walked out of the house and entered the car with Reiha. Cain slammed the car door right behind them and jumped into the passenger seat. Once they were all securely in there, the driver started to head toward the mansion. Miyu looked outside from the window and found the villagers looking at them solemnly. Ami was sobbing quietly at the other end of the car.

  


"What happen to the reception," Reiha asked coldly.

  


"I told you before," Cain said coolly. "There will be no ceremony and no reception. You will just go to the mansion and sign the marriage license." Reiha scowled and looked away from him. In less than five minutes, they have managed to reach to the mansion. Cain quickly jumped out of the passenger seat. Before he could open the door for Miyu, Miyu opened the car door by herself and glared at him. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and walked her toward the mansion. Reiha and Ami silently followed them, with the driver right behind them. "Stop kicking," Cain commanded when Miyu angrily tried to step on his feet. He glared at the people who was standing at the door and silently commanded them to open it. The guards didn't need another warning and they proceeded to open the door as fast as they can.

  


"Get in," Cain commanded and pushed Miyu right through the door. Miyu stumbled inward and fell forward. She landed in someone's arms and angrily looked upward. Genta, who happened to caught her, looked at her with surprise. He was even more surprise when Miyu gave him a hard shove.

  


"Don't touch me," scowled Miyu. She moved away from Genta. By that time, Genji and Genzou have already reached down the stairs and they were staring at the girls.

  


"Shut up," Cain said coldly to Miyu, while he walked toward Genta. He bowed slightly and pointed his finger at Ami. "This is Sota Ami. She will be your bride." He then pointed at Miyu and Reiha and addressed Genji and Genzou respectively. "Sota Miyako will be the bride for Genji and Sota Rei will be the bride for Genzou." Genzou stared at Reiha, while she returned his stare with a challenging look.

  


Genji looked at Miyu and an ugly smirk appeared on his fat face. "I guess Gima is right. They are pretty."

  


"And you are ugly," Miyu snared. Genji's face turned purple in anger and he stormed up to Miyu. He was about to strike Miyu when Genta stepped between them. "Genta!"

  


"Don't touch her," Genta said sharply. Miyu, Reiha, Genzou, Genji, and Ami looked at him in surprise. For a moment, even Cain looked a little bit shock. Genta let go of Genji's hand and turned to look at Miyu. "Miyako, right?" Miyu didn't answer him but continued to glare at him. "I like you. You got spunk. Why don't you be my wife instead?"

  


"But Genta...," complained Genji. Genta raised one hand to stop him.

  


"You can have the other girl." He took Miyu's hand but Miyu yanked it away from him. He smiled and before Miyu could pull away from him, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

  


"What do you think you are doing," growled Miyu.

  


"We are going to sign our marriage license," said Genta. He turned to Cain and addressed him. "It will arrive shortly."

  


"I know," said Cain. "I will go and supervise it right now." He gave one last glance at Ami before he walked out of the house. He walked to the pier and looked around him. The workers were already standing there and waiting impatiently for the ship to arrive. Cain took a few steps toward the end of the pier and grabbed a flashlight on the ground. He closed his eyes and silently stood there. He could hear whispers coming from the people around him. Cain didn't opened his eyes until he heard the water rustling close to him. He lifted the flashlight to his eye level and flashed it a few time. In a matter of second, the ship was heading toward them. It took fifteen minutes for it to dock and within half an hour, the goods were quickly being loaded down on the land. Cain watched them in silence and turned to look at the mansion. He walked up to the next supervisor and leaned toward him. "I'm going to go the house for a moment," he said. "You can go ahead and tell them to load the things into the warehouse." The guy gave Cain a questioning look but he didn't question Cain. Cain patted him on the shoulder and slowly walked toward the mansion. He looked to his left and found some of his policeman waiting patiently for his order. He silently signaled for them to wait. When there was no one in sight, he quickly went to the east wing and looked at the mansion. Making sure he was right under Genji's room, he started to climb up the mansion.

  


"Oh hell," thought Cain as he climbed up to the balcony. He panted and flattened himself on the wall once he got on to the balcony. The lights were out and he silently wished he was not too late. He pulled out some keys and started to picklock the entrance to the balcony. After two tries, he was in Genji's room and looking for a hiding place. He entered the closet, which faced the door, and hid in there. "I guess that means I have to wait. Damn that Miyu. If she didn't acted like that, then Ami wouldn't have gotten Genji. Ami won't be able to stale him in time for Miyu to arrive." He flattened himself on the closet and managed to open a small crack so he could see the outside. "I wonder how long I have to wait," he yawned.

  


When Cain left them, Miyu, Reiha, and Ami reluctantly signed the marriage documents that Genta, Genzou, and Genji have made them signed. For the next hour, Genta, Genji, and Genzou celebrated their marriage with some of their closest friends. Miyu growled at Genta whenever he tried to kiss her. She glared at Genji and found him sexually harassing Ami. Genji slowly ran his hand up Ami's leg while Ami tried to push him away. Reiha watched the scene with a scowled on her face. Genzou was looking at her with a query smile on his face.

  


"It's time I put this to an end," thought Miyu. When she was sure that Genta was looking at her direction, she pretended to yawn and blinked her eyes sleepily. As according to her plan, Genta quickly leaned toward her and kissed her on the cheek. She scowled and backed away from him but he had his arms wrapped around her waist.

  


"Are you getting sleepy, my dear," he asked. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "You will feel even more weary after I am done with you tonight." He laughed when Miyu glared at him. Genta stood up from his chair and looked at the little party around the living room. "Hey...it's already late and some of us is eager to go to bed, do you get what I mean?" The people in the room laughed and some of them stood up from their chair. "So...I guess, me and my new wife will just have to say goodnight to you. Feel free to continue on with the party, while we continue our somewhere else." Miyu have only just in time to give Reiha a slight nod before Genta pulled her up from her chair and wrapped his arms around her. She pushed him away slightly and noticed that Genji and Genzou were also taking Reiha and Ami upward to their chamber. When they reached up the stairs, there were six guards waiting up there. Genta turned to the west wing and waved good-bye to his brothers before he dragged Miyu right after him. The two guards that we assigned to him followed them in silence.

  


When they reached to his room, Genta told the guards to wait outside. One of the guard nodded his head and leaned backward on the right side of the door. The other guard just grunted and looked away when Genta entered the room with Miyu. Genta quickly closed the door on them and reached out for Miyu.

  


"It's only us now," he said, while he turned on the light. He grabbed Miyu by her hand and turned her toward him. Before he knew it, Miyu kneel him sharply on his stomach. He doubled forward and she slammed her fist on the back of his neck and rendered him unconscious.

  


"Yes," Miyu said coldly. "It is time." She looked around her and grabbed one of the blanket. In a few seconds, she had him tied up to the bedpost and gagged him. Miyu walked toward the door and slowly opened it. She was slightly surprise to find that there was only one guard standing outside the door. The guard lifted his cap a little bit to have a clearly look at her when she opened the door. His long blond hair was flatten on his back and he stood up to face her. "Ge...Genta...," Miyu stammered. "He..he..s.ssaid that he n..need to see you." The guard gave her a questioning look before he stepped into the room. Miyu quickly closed the door and turned to attack him.

  


"That was fast, little girl," said the guard when he turned around to block Miyu's attack. A smile appeared on his face as he held on tightly to Miyu wrist when she lifted her hand to strike him. "What is the matter, little girl? Have your skill deteriorated so much that you couldn't even recognize me?" He took off his cap and pulled off the yellow wig to reveal his beautiful blue hair. He pulled off the fake scar on his left cheek and took off his green contact lens.

  


Miyu smiled slightly and relaxed her stance. "You are full of surprises, old man. I didn't expect..." Her sentence was cut off when Larva pulled her into his arm and embraced her.

  


"Miyu," he whispered into her ear. He tightened his hug on her and closed his eyes. "Miyu."

  


Miyu was surprised when Larva suddenly embraced her, but she slowly relaxed in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him lightly and softly whispered his name. They stood there in each other's embrace until Miyu sudden pulled away and turned to the door.

  


"Ami is in trouble," she said. She was about to open the door but stopped and turned to look at Larva. "Who was the other guard?"

  


"Pazusu," answered Larva. He reached for the door and opened it. "He said he will go over to check on the other girl that was with Genji." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Nagi is also over here. He is disguise as one of the guards for Genzou." He waved his hand at the hallway. "Shall we?"

  


"In that case," started Miyu. She pulled Larva back into the room. "We better search this room first."

  


"And what about your friend, Ami?"

  


"My dear, Larva," Miyu said coyly. "I believe your brain is deteriorating. If Pazusu is not able to take care of himself, you wouldn't have let him join in this operation. He should be able to rescue Ami if you allowed him to work on his own." She smiled sweetly at him. "And, I haven't forgotten the fact that he was the one that trained you."

  


"You are right, my dear," said Larva with a smile. He walked up to Genta and found him stirring. "Your husband is waking up. May I have the honor?"

  


"Please do," said Miyu while she searched the desk.

  


"Thank you," said Larva. He lifted his hand and landed a blow on Genta's head and knocked him unconscious. "Found anything yet, my dear?"

  


"Nothing," replied Miyu. Larva nodded his head and started to look at the bookshelves. They searched in silence for a moment until Miyu broke the silence. "Tell me about your investigation with ICAC."

  


"It went fairly well," said Larva. "With Nagi's help, the investigation process was shorten." He shifted the books and knocked his knuckles on the wooden bookshelf. He shook his head and replaced the books. "They are just waiting for us to finish our operation over here before they make any arrest." After replacing the books, he moved to look at the drawings at the wall.

  


"I guess that means you are still ahead of me," said Miyu.

  


"I guess I am," Larva said smiling. "Because I have just found what you have been looking for." Miyu turned to look at him and found him taking a picture off the wall. A safe was embedded in the middle of the wall. "Now, do you know how to break into a safe?"

  


Miyu strolled up to him and placed her ear on the safe. She closed her eyes and started to twirl the knob. Larva waited in quiet and watched her as she adjusted the knob.

  


*****

  


Cain was about to doze off when he heard some noises coming from the hallway. He became alert and stared at the door. He could hear Genji dismissing the guards, and he could hear Ami crying softly. The door to the room finally opened and Cain held in his breath. Ami stumbled in and Genji's hands were clamped tightly on her wrist. She struggled to get away but Genji was just too strong for her. Without bothering to open the light, Genji just closed the door and pulled Ami toward him.

  


"Please...," sobbed Ami when Genji started to kiss her and ripped open her kimono. "Please...stop."

  


Cain growled and moved out of his hiding place quietly. He could see Genji's grotesque figure moving across the room and toward the bed.

  


"Don't worry, baby," panted Genji from excitement. "I promise I will be kind to you." Cain sneaked up behind him and raised his fist upward and brought it down hard on Genji's head. Genji plunged forward and Ami screamed out loud. Cain tossed Genji easily off from Ami and leaned toward her. He clamped his hand over her mouth to muffled her scream.

  


"It's me," he whispered. "Ami, it's me, Cain." Ami's tears fell down on his hand and he looked at her. To his relief, her kimono was only slightly torn in the front and only her shoulder was revealed. Cain used his free hand to grab the blanket and pulled it toward her. "Don't worry, Ami," Cain said softly. "You are safe." Ami nodded her head and he released his hand from her mouth. Tears were still streaming down her face, when he wrapped the blanket around her. To Cain's surprise, she wrapped her arms around him and started to cry.

  


"Whoa," Cain thought as he stroke her hair. "Rescuing beautiful girls and having them hugging you in return...hmmm...I think I can get use to this."

  


*****

  


When Genta closed the door on them, Pazusu patted Larva on the shoulder before he dashed down the hallway. "I'm going to help the other girl," he said softly to Larva. Larva nodded his head and watched his foster father sneaking down the hallway.

  


Pazusu turned around the corner from the west wing and calmly walked down the main hallway. He made another turn to the east wing and found Nagi and another guard position right outside Reiha's room.

  


"What are you doing here," asked the guard that stood right next to Nagi.

  


"Genta wanted a word with Genji," Pazusu replied. "He wanted to talk about the trade." The guard nodded his head and leaned back on the wall to let Pazusu pass. Nagi watched Pazusu closely and saw him approaching the two guards that watch over Genji's room. They were talking to each other when a scream from Genji's room rang clearly down the hallway. The other guards smirked when they heard the scream. Nagi saw Pazusu looking at him and nodded his head.

  


Simultaneously, Nagi punched the guard that was standing next to him right in the stomach and managed to knock the wind out of him. Pazusu quickly punched one guy on the stomach and smoothly placed himself in front of the second guard. Before the guard could registered what have happen, Pazusu slammed his hand on the side of his neck and knocked him unconscious. With the two guards down, Pazusu looked at Nagi to see whether he needed any help. Nagi signaled that he was alright and was about to kick open Reiha's door when Reiha opened the door by herself. Her eyes widen when she saw the unconscious guard lying on the floor.

  


"Reiha," Nagi asked cautiously. Reiha narrowed her eyes at him. "I am Nagi. I am a detective from the Los Angeles Homicidal Police Department."

  


"I know who you are," Reiha answered. She smiled coldly. "So Miyu isn't able to handle this situation herself, is she?"

  


Nagi watched her as he strolled into Genzou's room. "In case you haven't notice, I am here to help you." He paused a little bit when he saw Genzou lying on the floor out cold.

  


"As you can see," replied Reiha. "I do not need your help."

  


"I see. Then I guess that means you won't need help in tying up Genzou. In that case, I will take a look around while you tie him up." Reiha gave him an icy glare but Nagi ignored it and started to roam around the room.

  


While Nagi was introducing himself to Reiha, Pazusu took a step back to Genji's door and kicked it open. Cain immediately turned toward the direction of the door and pushed Ami protectively right behind him.

  


"Who are you," asked Cain when Pazusu reached for the light. Pazusu looked at Genji's unconscious form before he started to approach Cain. He smiled.

  


"I believe you are Cain, aren't you," said Pazusu. Cain was startled but he didn't move away from Ami. "I'm Pazusu." His name seemed to have an effect on Cain because he relaxed from his stance.

  


"Now I can see the resemblance," said Cain. "Larva shown me your picture before." He turned to Ami and patted her on the head. "Hey, don't worry, girl. He is with us."

  


"That's right," said Pazusu. He walked up to Cain and stood next to him. To his surprise, Cain stuck his hand out to him and shook his hand.

  


"Good," said Cain. "Now that you are here, I'll leave her with you. Damn that Miyu. She didn't even come at all."

  


"That is because she is with Larva," Pazusu answered. "He must have told her that I am here."

  


"What," Cain exclaimed in horror. "He's here too?" Pazusu was confused to see Cain panicking and he silently nodded his head. "Oh damn...I am dead." He hastily retreated to the door. "Don't tell him that you saw me."

  


"Wait," cried Ami. She rushed up to Cain and grabbed his arm. "Are you just going to leave me here?"

  


Cain smiled kindly at her. "Come on, girl. I have things to do. Pazusu will take care of you." He softly pulled her hands away from his arm. "You are safe, so don't worry." He headed out of the door but quickly ran back in. "Opps...forgot that I am suppose to go down the balcony." Cain paused and looked at Genji's body. He gave a little kick to Genji's chest before he ripped off the curtains and started to tie him up with them. "Someone ought to tie up the guards too. You might find some ropes in the storage room. It's the door in the middle of this hallway." Pazusu nodded his head and went outside. It didn't take long for him to arrive back with some ropes. Cain took one rope from him and proceeded out of the door. After a few minutes, Pazusu and Cain lifted the three unconscious guards and dumped them on Genji's bed. Pazusu went to the closet and took out one of Genji's shirt. Her ripped it and started to stuff the clothes in the guards and Genji's mouth. With that done, Cain waved goodbye to Pazusu and Ami before he disappeared down the balcony.

  


Ami continued to stare at the balcony until Pazusu lightly tapped her on the shoulder. "Why don't you rest for a while?" He guided Ami toward and chair and she sat down on it. Her eyes were still glued to the balcony, while Pazusu searched the area. A few minutes later, Nagi appeared at the entrance of the room and smiled when he saw Genji and the three guards were struggling against their binding.

  


"I see you can take care of things over here, huh," asked Nagi when Pazusu walked up to Genji with annoyance on his face and knocked him out with one strike. Pazusu nodded his head and smiled to Nagi as he proceeded to knock the other guards out. Nagi looked at Ami and found her sitting on the chair with her eyes still glued to the balcony. "What's wrong with her?"

  


"Shock," Pazusu replied.

  


"Poor girl," said Nagi. He turned his head back to the hallway and found Reiha opening the storage room. He turned back to address Pazusu. "Hey, we are going to look in the storage room. Once you are done here, why don't you come and give us a hand."

  


"Sure." Nagi waved goodbye before he disappeared from the doorway. Half an hour later, Pazusu finally straighten up from his search and walked up to Ami. He kneeled downward so they were in the same eye level. "I am going to go to the storage room to help them out. Why don't you stay here and I will come and get you once we are done, okay?" She turned to look at him and smiled slightly.

  


"Thank you," she said. Pazusu patted her on the head and stood up.

  


"It won't be long and this nightmare will be over." He looked over at the balcony. "Cain would be starting the raid any minute now. Just wait here." Pazusu patted her on the head again and headed out the door. When he reached there, Reiha was sitting on a desk and Nagi had his ear glued to the safe. His face screwed up in deep concentration as he turned the knob.

  


"Almost got it," Nagi said hoarsely.

  


"Good," said Pazusu. He looked at Reiha and found her coldly staring at him.

  


"Who are you," she asked.

  


"My name is Pazusu," he answered. "I am Larva's foster father. You must be Reiha."

  


Reiha didn't answer him. "Your son must not love you. He is willing to put you in danger just so he could save his partner."

  


"You're wrong," said Pazusu. "Larva trusts in my ability." He sat down next to her. Reiha looked at him when he sat down next to her but she didn't move away. "And to him, she is not only his partner."

  


"Then what does she means to him," Nagi asked.

  


"Yes, my dear Larva." Everyone turned to the direction of the doorway and found Miyu smiling at Larva, while Larva looked annoyed. "What am I to you?"

  


"An annoying partner," Larva replied back smoothly. Miyu giggled and he walked into the room. He lifted the papers in his hand and handed them over to Reiha. Reiha took it from his hand without a glance. She looked at the documents while Larva informed them what was in there. "They are the contracts that the first twenty girls have signed. Miyu and I have looked over it and there isn't anything that seems to be important."

  


"Maybe...maybe, we can find something in here," Nagi grunted. "Ah! Finally." He leaned backward when the door to the safe popped open. He started to pull the contents out of the safe and handed them over to Reiha. He paused when he had a book in his hand. "What's this?" Nagi opened it and started to read it. "It is a record of their accounts," he told them.

  


Reiha took his position and kneel down to take the rest of the documents out of the safe. She opened one folder and closed it quickly. Her face registered no surprise but by the way she tossed the file across the room, they could tell that something was wrong with the file. Pazusu took the file from the floor and opened it. He saw Larva and Miyu looking at him when he flipped through some of the pictures and closed it shut.

  


"Pornography," Pazusu said disgusted. He was about to toss it into the trashcan when Larva strolled up to him and took the file from his hand. He opened it and started to look through the files. A smile appeared on his face. Larva walked up to Nagi and tapped him on the head with the file. Nagi looked up and was a little bit confuse when Larva thrust the file right in front of his face.

  


"Look," said Larva. Nagi put down the accounting book and took the file from Larva's hand. He opened it and his face blushed from the sight. However, when he got to the third photo, he exclaimed out loud. That caught Reiha's attention and she took the photo from his hand. Her face remained expressionless but her eyes burned with fire.

  


"Mai," said Reiha.

  


"The first victim," said Miyu. She smiled when Reiha handed the photo back to Nagi, and Nagi placed it back into the file. He gave it to Reiha. "My dear Larva. We wouldn't have found this file if it weren't for your interest in this subject."

  


"That's an insult, my dear Miyu," Larva said angrily. "Have you forgotten how to use your brain? These photos must be so important to the three brothers if they went and put them in the safe." Miyu turned her head away with a playful pout on her face. This caused Larva to smile at her.

  


"We have to find which studio did these photos," said Reiha.

  


"Actually, I think I know," said Nagi. He placed the accounting book on the floor and pointed at an entry. "A large amount of money was paid to this photo studio. And..." He flipped over to the next page. "Here is the list of huge payments that have been made to their account. If I am correct, these must be the places where they sold the girls. All we have to do right now is to trace their account. It won't be easy...but I think we can do it."

  


"I guess this is all we need," said Pazusu. "Once you rescue the girls, you can use their statements to charge the three brothers for their crime."

  


"Now what do we do," asked Nagi. He started to place the rest of the documents into the safe. He took the rest of the incriminating documents and stood up from the floor. Larva reached into his pocket and gave a warrant to Reiha.

  


"That is the search warrant given to us by Sergeant Satou," he told her. "You will be able to legally confiscate these evidences." Nagi handed the evidence to her and she took it from him without a word.

  


"Like I said," said Nagi. "What do we do, now?"

  


"We wait for Cain's raid to start," said Miyu. Before she headed out of the door, she saw Larva making a call on a cellphone. He caught her eye and mouthed that he was calling Cain. She nodded her head and proceeded toward Genji's room. She found Ami snoozing on her chair. Larva entered the room with Pazusu. "Thank you, Pazusu," Miyu said softly so she wouldn't wake Ami up.

  


"No problem," Pazusu replied. "I wasn't the one who saved her. Cain knocked out Genji before I even got here."

  


Miyu nodded her head. "This is not what I had expected to happen."

  


"Don't blame yourself," Larva comforted. "No matter who she end up with, they will eventually try to rape her."

  


"Except Genzou," said Reiha, near the doorway. "He was coming on to me with a knife. It seems like he like to torture his victim, before he rape them." Their attention was turned to the balcony when they heard shots firing outside.

  


"The raid just started," Nagi announced. He burst into the room. "Come on! We have to block the rest of them from coming up to this floor."

  


"What is happen," asked Ami fearfully. The noises have managed to wake her up.

  


"The raid just started," Miyu answered. She stood up and started to head out to the door.

  


"Wait, Miyu," said Larva. "You and Reiha will just have to stay here. Neither one of you have a weapon. Nagi, Pazusu, and I will keep the others from coming up here." Miyu opened her mouth to protest but Larva had already disappeared from the room, along with Pazusu and Nagi.

  


"I never take orders from anyone," said Reiha. She headed out of the room and out to the hallway.

  


"Neither do I," Miyu said quietly. She turned to Ami and saw her trembling and staring at the bed. Genji and the two guards were also waking up to the noise too. Miyu strolled toward them and looked at them. She sighed before she knocked them out again. After that, she went to the drawer and started to search through it. She smiled when she found what she was looking for.

  


"What did you find," asked Ami. She walked up to Miyu and gasped when she saw Miyu holding a gun in her hand.

  


"Stay right behind me," commanded Miyu. She walked out of the room with Ami following obediently behind her. Shots were fired in the house as Larva, Pazusu, Nagi, and Reiha diligently prevented any of the gangs from reaching to the top. Miyu took out her gun and fired at one of the member when he pointed his gun at Larva. Larva looked at her and smiled before he turned back to the crossfire. Miyu stayed behind Pazusu and Larva so she could keep Ami in safety. The door to the mansion burst opened and policemen started to rush into the house.

  


"This is the police," Cain's voice resounded from the amplifier. "Hold your fire and surrender."

  


Larva, Pazusu, Nagi, and Reiha backed up to their hiding place as Cain and the rest of the policemen round up the gangs on the first level. They placed their gun down the floor when Cain came running up to the second level, along with a bunch of policemen behind him. He grinned at Larva and approached them, after ordering some of his men to go retrieve Genta from the west wing.

  


"Did you guys find what you needed," asked Cain as he approached them. His followers left him and entered the west wing to get Genji and Genzou.

  


"We did," answered Nagi. He looked around him and smiled. "Not bad for your first time."

  


Cain grinned and was surprise when Ami threw her arms around him. "Wow...now this is what I call a welcoming party," said Cain. "Anyways, Aoi just gave me a call. They have already arrested all of the people that are in Chofu pier." He grinned. "They even arrested Aoi. But...don't worry. They know that he is not part of the gang. In fact, he is heading toward Tokyo pier right now."

  


***Tokyo Pier***

  


"Good," said Gima. She closed her cell phone and looked at the last cargo that was being loaded on the pier. She placed two fingers on her lip and kissed it softly, before she waved it into the air. "Good bye, my dear Aoi. It had been sweet."

  


"Gima," said one of the workers. "Everything is loaded."

  


"Good," said Gima. "Now..." She froze when bright light suddenly blinded the whole pier and sounds of gun clicking could be heard around them.

  


"This is the police," announced Ichiro. "Put down your weapons down and place your hands on top of your head."

  


Gima broke into a run and took out her gun. Shots were fired when the workers dodged behind the cargo and started to fire back at the police. Gima ducked behind some of the cargos as she dodged the bullets. She fired back and shot two of the policemen right in the chest, before she disappeared into the shadow. "How," thought Gima as she headed toward her car. Amazingly there were no policemen guarding her car. She ran up to it and pushed her car key into the driver's door. But before she could open the door, the back door opened in a quick jerk and hit her from the back. She stumbled to the floor and her gun flew away from her hand. Gima looked up and was surprise to find Aoi pointing his gun directly at her.

  


"You are under arrest, Gima," said Aoi. "Please give up."

  


"Aoi," scowled Gima. She slowly rose from the floor. "So you betrayed me."

  


"I never was on your side, Gima," said Aoi. "Now put your hands up to the air." Gima slowly lifted her hand to her head but to Aoi's surprise, her eyes suddenly rolled upward and she slumped forward. She landed on the floor unconscious. Aoi lowered his gun when he saw Ranka standing right in front of him. She bent downward and picked up the tiny dagger that fell from Gima's hand.

  


"She was about to toss this right at you," said Ranka. She took out her handcuff and put them on Gima. "You should be more careful in the future, Aoi."

  


"Thank you, Ranka," said Aoi. He walked up to Ranka. Before he knew it, he was lying on the floor and clutching his right cheek in pain. Ranka lowered her fist and glared at him.

  


"That...that was for hiding your mission from me," she said angrily. Aoi stood up with a smile on his face. She tossed Gima's unconscious body to Aoi and stormed off toward the pier. "Look over her, while I help Ichiro out." She turned around and shook her finger dangerously at him. "And don't you dare disappear on me."

  


Aoi watched her disappear with a smile on his face. "Not this time, Ranka."

  


******

  


Some of the policemen were taken to the hospital and some of them had suffer a minor wound. Ichiro cheek was bleeding when Gima's shot gazed his cheek. Although he was in pain, he was grinning at the sight. He patted one of the officer on the shoulder as he pushed one of the gang members into the car. The pier was loaded with bullet holes and on the floor laid ten dead bodies. Some of the policemen were already opening the cargo and taking out the cocaine that was in them. "This is finally over," thought Ichiro. "Now come to think of it, where did Aoi and Ranka go?" After they have given Gima to him fifteen minutes ago, they both have disappeared. "Oh well."

  


Meanwhile, Ranka tightly held on to Aoi while he sped down the road. She closed her eyes and allowed the cold evening breeze to toss her hair softly behind her. They finally stopped when Aoi reached back to the dojo. He got off the motorcycle with Ranka, and they both walked silently toward the ruins. Aoi kneeled downward and clasped his hand in a prayer.

  


"Forgive me father," he prayed. "I am sorry for destroying this dojo. Please understand my reason." Ranka placed her hand softly on his shoulder. He prayed to his father for a few more minutes before he rose up on his feet and headed toward the pond with Ranka. When they reached Yuki's pond, they stood there in silence. Aoi slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.

  


"I'm sorry, Ranka," Aoi apologized.

  


Ranka lightly hugged him back. "Next time, just tell me." Aoi nodded his head.

  


***Two days later...Morning at Tokyo Police Department***

  


"You looked tired," said Larva. He parked his motorcycle at his parking space and looked behind him. Miyu slid off of the motorcycle and took off the helmet.

  


"I stayed up to talk to Yui," she replied. Miyu pulled a strand of her long brown hair away from her face. She turned toward the building. But before she could walk there, Larva grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the motorcycle.

  


"Miyu, there is something I want to give you," he said. He slid off of his seat and opened his coat. Larva reached into his pocket and took out a long red ribbon. "I believe this belongs to you."

  


Miyu took it from his hand and smiled slightly. "I thought I lost it."

  


"Here," said Larva. He took the ribbon from her hand and she sat down on the seat. He started to help her tied up her hair.

  


"I haven't heard from Nagi," said Miyu.

  


"He is helping ICAC in their investigation. They already got all of the corrupted policemen in jail. All they need to do is to wait for the trial."

  


"Cain said that they released the other girls. As for Reiha..."

  


"They found some of the girls that have been sold," said Larva. "Some of them have committed suicide." Miyu looked down on the floor with sadness in her eyes. She stood up when Larva finally finished tying up her hair. "The good news is that Cain seems to grow kind of fond of Ami. He asked me to beg you to try not to ruin this newly budding relationship."

  


Miyu gave him a smile as they headed toward the building. "I'll try not..." Her words were cut off when a loud explosion erupted from the upper level of the building. Larva threw his body over her and they both fell down on the floor. Debris came raining down on them and Larva stood up quickly. He pulled Miyu closed to his body and shielded her as they headed away from the building. "Larva!" She pulled Larva to a halt and pointed to the building. Fire raged from one area of the building. Larva's heart plunged when he realized the significance in Miyu's exclamation. "That's our department!"

  


"Oh my god," said Ranka. She pulled her car up to them and she got out of her car with Ichiro. Her eyes widen in horror. "Aoi is in the building! And so is Lemures, Spartoi, and Lemunia!" Without thinking, she rushed into the building with Ichiro, Miyu, and Larva right behind her.

  


Author's note:

  


Okay...now with that said then...Er..hi everyone. Sorry for such a late update. I have so much things to do for this year that I didn't have time to work on it. Also...I ran into a lot of problem, while I was writing this chapter. I have to figure them out before I can write it. Anyways...I hope you like this chapter.

  


By the way...the most important thing of all is that the next chapter is...THE LAST CHAPTER!!! Yep...this is reaching a conclusion. Yeah! And that means....Gio(oppss...correction...I mean Gia...hehehe) and Cait Sith will definately be there.

  


Hmm....what else do I want to say. Err...I can't think of anything else. But...if you have any comment, feel free to email me at digi_03@yahoo.com.


	8. Trap

_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Princess Miyu…_

_This is the first time I am using Word Processing as the format. I don't know how the format will be like when it is in fanfiction. If I do not like the format, I will change it back to the original form. As for Acknowledgement…they will be written on the bottom of the story instead…they will be added in the second week after the final chapter, so that I can answer any questions, if you have any. With that said, please enjoy the final chapter of this installment. _

_Minor Revise version: The asterisks that I used as the divider for each interval did not come out in Fanfiction. I revised it and added the dash so it will be easier for people to read the divided section. _

_**Trap**_

A light beam of sunlight drifted through the window and lit up the crowded police office. The newly added desks were arranged in a disorderly manner around the working area. Piles of files laid scattered around all of the desks. On one of the desk, a young boy slept quietly with his head on top of three thick files. A snore broke the silence ever so often in the office as the young boy continued his slumber. Like an alarm, he jolted awake when his silver colored cell-phone started to play loudly a small excerpt from Mozart 16th symphony. Groggily the boy looked around him before he finally located his cell-phone. Running his hand through his messy black hair, he answered the phone.

"Ichiro speaking," he answered immediately. He stifled a yawn and flew up from his chair when he heard the frantic voice from the other side of the line.

"Aoi is finally awake," Ranka shrieked excitingly. As far as he knew, she never shrieked before. "He is mad! He is really mad!" She sounded like she was on the verge of panic, and it was not doing Ichiro any good. Not when his brain still need some time to fully function properly. Hitting his head lightly with his palm, he took a deep breath to clear his brain, while Ranka's frantic cries were booming out from his cell-phone.

"I'll be there," Ichiro said calmly, while he searched his messy desk for his car key. He finally found it lying beneath a file that had confidential written over it. "Wait for me." He hung up before Ranka could say anything else. Without looking, he took a sharp turn backward and grunted when he ran right straight into a desk. "They really need to rearrange these desks better," he grumbled as he climbed over the desk and hopped on-top of another one.

"Hey! Watch where you are standing," growled Lemures when he walked into the room with Spartoi following right after him. He quickly walked toward the desk where Ichiro had jumped on, while carefully maneuvering through all the desks that were lying on his path, while trying to juggle his cup of coffee in his hand. "Damn!" He cursed when his hip hit the corner of the one the desk that he was trying to get through. Spartoi yawned and took a drink from his own cup of coffee. He watched them as Ichiro jumped off from the desk and apologized to Lemures.

"Aoi is awake," Ichiro told them as he brushed pass Lemures. "Do you want to see him?"

"Of course," said Lemures. He set his cup of coffee on top of his desk and yanked his coat off from his chair. He grimaced when he noticed all the wrinkles his coat had accumulated. "He is not taking it well is he?"

"Of course," Spartoi and Lemures followed Ichiro as they speed out of the working area and into the hallway where the elevators were located. Spartoi pressed the down button before he turned his attention toward Ichiro. "Ranka sounds like she is in the verge of a breakdown." Ichiro walked into the elevator with Spartoi and Lemures trailing right behind him. He pressed the first floor button and waited for the doors to close before he turned to them. "How do you think you will react if you are in Aoi's condition?"

"Not good," Spartoi leaned tiredly on the wall of the elevator. Lemures grimly nodded his head.

"Exactly," said Ichiro. "It will be surprising if he can take the news calmly." But how could he? How could anyone react calmly when they woke up only to find one of his legs got amputated? Ichiro clenched his teeth in anger as he recalled how Ranka and him took the news when the doctor told them that they needed to cut off that leg or else it will put Aoi's life in even greater danger. Ranka had turned to him and cried on his shoulder. He hated to see Ranka cry, and what he hated more was the person who made her cry. He snapped out of his thought when he heard a small drumming coming from the back of the wall Lemures was standing.

"I forgot about him," thought Ichiro. Although Lemures show no emotion on his face, his eyes spoke of anguished thoughts. Not only does his brother still lie in a coma in intensive care, Lemures ended up learning that Aoi was the one who shielded his brother from the full impact when the elevator collapsed from the explosion. The elevator had fell down two full stories from where it was and crashed the elevator. The metal rail that was screwed to the wall of the elevator collapsed from the impact and pierced through Aoi's right leg. Lemunia was found lying on top of Aoi, unconscious from a blow on his head when part of the ceiling collapsed. He only woke up once when Lemures held on to him and then he fainted away when he told his brother that Aoi shielded him. When Lemures heard Aoi have to have his leg amputated, he was devastated.

The elevator finally gave off a familiar chime when it reached the ground floor. As the door slid open, Ichiro started to walk forward and immediately rammed right into another person who happened to be stepping into the elevator. Spartoi moved quickly enough to support Ichiro, preventing him from falling down to the floor, saving him from any further embarrassment. Lemures, on the other hand, stepped forward to offer a hand to Los, who happened to be lying on the floor from the impact.

"Thank you," said Los as he adjusted his glasses. He placed his tanned hand in Lemures out stretched hand and unceremoniously picked himself up. He smiled and waved away the apologies Ichiro was saying as he adjusted his dark black coat. His short white hair contrasted from the coat tremendously. "Where are you heading off so early?"

"We are heading to the hospital, Sir," Ichiro replied. "Aoi just woke up and Ranka…." Los nodded his head.

"Go see him and come back as soon as you can."

"Thank you, Sir." Los nodded his head and stepped into the elevator. He took out his badge from the side pocket of his coat and clipped on. As the elevator closed in front of Spartoi, Lemures, and Ichiro's eyes and lifted Los upward, Ichiro couldn't help but wonder how this scrawny guy could ever end up being the head of their department. But as scrawny as he might be, Los does have high recommendations and his intelligence was unmatchable.

"He haven't met Miyu or Larva yet," though Ichiro with a smile as they step out of the building and headed straight for Spartoi's rental car. The thought of Miyu, Larva, and Los brought another sadness in his hear. It has been a month since that incident. A month since Miyu has stopped working and hidden herself in contemplated sorrow. Larva had stayed with her and yet, he did nothing to bring her back to the work force. Right now, with so many of their members gone, the police force will need their help more than ever. Spartoi patted him softly on the shoulder.

"Get in the car," said Spartoi. Ichiro just only noticed that Lemures had gotten in the car and was waiting impatiently for Ichiro to get into the car. Muttering an apology, he quickly scrambled in as Spartoi closed the door behind him before he walked toward the driver side and started the car. "I know you are thinking about Miyu, but there is nothing that you can do about it." Ichiro was startled that Spartoi was able to understand what he was thinking. "Larva is patience enough to wait until Miyu is ready. I think…all of us just have to wait until she is ready too." He sighed as he pulled the car out of the parking lot and into the quiet streets. A few people were strolling on the sidewalk during this early morning.

"She has Larva to look after her," Lemures murmured while he leaned forward and prompted his left arm on the headrest of the driver seat. "And Pazusa is also there to watch after those two as well. Not to mention Yui and Nagi." He sighed when his cell-phone rang. "Hello?" A smile broke through his face as he nodded his head. "Thank you. I'll be there as soon as I can." He clicked off his phone and patted the driver's headrest. "Hurry, up Spartoi! We have to go to the hospital, now!"

"Lemunia has woke up also," Ichiro asked in wonderment. He didn't need Lemures's answer to know that he was right. "That is great," Ichiro muttered. That earned him a slap on the back of his head. He immediately turned toward his attacker. "Damn it! Why did you hit me?"

"Why the heck are you using that tone," Lemures angrily snapped. "You sound like you didn't want my brother to wake up at all."

"Children, stop this at once," Spartoi jokingly scolded them in a motherly tone. That earned him two deadly glares and it grew more intense when Spartoi paid no heed to them. "And Lemures…" He turned around and tapped Lemures on the forehead, before he faced the road again. "You know that Ichiro don't mean it that way. He must be thinking about Aoi's condition." When he saw Lemures grimaced and Ichiro's startled look, he knew he hit the mark right. Accelerating the car's speed, he turned to Ichiro and smile. "And I give you permission to hit back Lemures for hitting you at the beginning and for behaving like a good little boy."

Ichiro scowled. "If you aren't driving, I would have thrown you out of the car for talking to me like you are my mother or something like that."

"I know how to drive," Lemures volunteered.

"Touché…can't you guys take a joke when you see one?"

"At this moment, we don't find your personal joke that amusing, Spartoi," Lemures replied.

"This is what I get for being stuck with two boring people with no sense of humor." Ichiro silently placed a note in his head, reminding him to beat up Spartoi when they arrived to the hospital ground. From Lemures's expression, it seemed like he had the same thought flowing in his head too.

_**Cemetery**_

The cold wind rustled the dead leaves that were left there on the floor. With the freezing whether out in the cold morning ground, the caretaker was still tuck warmly in his bed, buying his time before he had to go out and perform his duty. But while he kept himself warm in his bed, a young girl was kneeling in front of a tombstone two miles away from where the caretaker lived. Ten feet away from her, stood a young man who was leaning on an angel statue that was carved into a figure of a woman with her two hands clasped in front of her chest. The young man pulled his long black coat closer to his body as his light blue hair whipped in the chilling wind. His eyes never left the young girl as she continued to kneel there. In front of her was a bouquet of wild flowers, in which she has chosen from the flower shop that early morning. A row of the same type of bouquet of flowers could be seen for six other graves that lied next to the one she was kneeling in front of. She had kneeled there for an hour but no words have escape from her mouth. She never complained about the cold nor did she move from her position. The young man couldn't help but feel concern for the young girl as she continued to stare at the photo on the tomb before her. She finally lifted her right hand and her fingers lightly touched the man's face.

The young man sighed. It was no wondered how much this incident had hurt her. The man who died was not only her supervisor, but he was like a father to her too. The young man could still recalled how happy Van had been when he heard that Miyu was safe when Larva called him that night they successfully arrested those three buffoons. Nor was Miyu able to escape a full blown lecture from Van, when Larva handed her his cell-phone. But before Van could even see her, he had died in the blast that took out the whole floor of their department. Aoi and Lemunia have escaped the full impact, because they happened to be coming up to the department when the explosion occurred. But…it has still left Aoi with a deficit that will affect him with the rest of his life.

The young girl stood up from the grave. Her long brown hair, which was bounded by a red ribbon, swayed as she stood up from the grave. She took five steps to the right and kneeled down again, but this time she was facing a new grave. Larva grimaced and thought of the unfortunate event. They managed to found out who sent the bomb and how it was triggered. A security guard, who was bribed by Gima, was told to take the bomb and give it to Aoi. Little did the security guard knew, when he arrived to the floor, just when Reiha was showing her report to Van, the bomb was triggered and exploded. Three other workers were on the floor when that happened and they all were killed instantly.

"Larva?" The young man turned his attention back to the young girl as she kneeled before Reiha's grave. This was the first time she had ever spoken to him since the incident. Yui wasn't able to get her to talk and Nagi was less successful at it.

"What is it Miyu?"

"I had a dream yesterday night." That was not what he expected to hear her said, but he hid his surprise. Her words were so softly spoken that if it weren't for the wind, Larva would have missed them. "Reiha appeared in my dream."

"And what did she say?" Larva asked her as he pulled himself away from the statue and headed toward her.

"She said that she couldn't believe she lost to me." Miyu looked up in time to catch surprise registered in Larva's eye before it disappeared. She smiled at him and that was enough to startle Larva. Recently Larva is easy to startle and that kind of puzzle her.

"Is that all she said?" He knew there was something significant in those words. Something he has yet to figure out. It has been a while since he last saw her smile this way. It is not just any normal smile…but it is a smile that indicated she knew something and was determine about something. A spark of fire reignite itself in her eyes. Could he have been too hopeful that he was seeing these things? These thoughts tumbled in his mind as he waited for her answer.

"Did she need to speak more?" Miyu giggled when she stood up. It was a familiar kind of giggle. The stood there staring at Reiha's grave. "Do you remember the time when we were in Los Angeles? Do you remember our promise?"

Larva slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to keep some warmth in between them. "I thought you had forgotten."

"I did, but Reiha reminded me of whom I should be. And this person, who was walking around like a zombie had not been the Miyu that you all know. She is not the person that Reiha will lose to."

"She has been waiting…and so have I." Larva hesitated. "All of us have been waiting."

She turned away from the tomb and started to head toward the cemented stairs. "Then what are we standing around here for, my dear Larva?" She turned to look at him when he didn't move. "Your wait has ended."

"So it seems," said Larva. He walked toward her and they both headed down the stairs rapidly.

"Speak." Nodding his head, Larva understood what she wanted. He started to tell her about the current standing. After Gima had openly attacked the police station, she had made a fatal mistake with her action. Blinded with rage, she neglected to think about her action or else she would have realized her action had put all of the media and police force attention on the Quarl. Now all of the police station were working together to try to bring this organization down.

With their department laid in ruins, the rest of the Tokyo main police departments had moved to another nearby station. Though the working condition was cramped with the overwhelming amount of people, they were placed under a new supervisor. Los had earned a degree in Harvard for criminology and forensic had made a name for himself before he moved to Japan. Although he was young for his position, his intelligence had managed to help the Tokyo branch successfully accomplished fifteen raids during this short month. Other police stations from different areas in Japan were also closing down on the Quarl straight on. The income of the Quarl took a dramatic damage as their shipments were confiscated by the policemen and their workers and members were coming into some police stations in files.

"But what about Cain?" Miyu asked as she looked at Larva when they reached to the bottom of the stairs. "Have they found his body yet?" Larva shook his head. Another reason that infuriated the police force occurred when they discovered Cain's car floating in the ocean a week after the explosion. His brake had been sabotage, which resulted in his accident. While Cain was driving down from Ami's village, his car lost control and hit the ramp when he was going down the winding mountain road. His car flipped over and went over the ramp, before it plunged into the ocean. Nagi happened to be talking to him via the phone when the accident happened and he immediately notified the police about Cain's accident. A search had been issued but his body still remained unfound.

Miyu just nodded her head. Her feelings lay hidden in that cold mask she wore. No tears or sadness could bring back Cain, nor can they bring back the friends or family the Quarl had taken away from her. Now, her main duty was to capture the people who had done this to her. And as for now, Gia and Cait Sith were still at large. However, with the recent hits that were done to the Quarl's economic standing, it won't be long when they start to make a move toward them. She also knew Larva and her will have to be the bait for this matter.

_**Hospital**_

By the time that Spartoi, Lemures, and Ichiro have arrived to the hospital, Aoi had calmed down by a lot. Lemures went to check upon Lemunia and had left Ichiro standing right outside Aoi's room with Spartoi as they contemplated on what they should say to the upset person that lay beyond this hospital door. Before they could come up with any good idea, Ranka opened the door and was startled to find the two of them standing in front of the door. She frowned.

"What are you two standing out here for? Come in." Ichiro shared a puzzled look with Spartoi before they stepped into the dimly lit room. It was a private room, so no other occupants shared the room. But there laid Aoi, frail and haggard. Ichiro's eyes couldn't help but wander as it landed on the empty space where Aoi's right leg should have been. He hated to see how weak Aoi looked like. He hated to see how unhealthy he looked. What he hated more was the person who did this to Aoi and caused him to lose his leg.

Aoi groggily opened his eyes and took in his surrounding when he heard Ranka talking to some people. A smile broke from his face when he saw Ichiro and Spartoi. Least to say, that shocked the two of them. That was the last expression that they expected to see from Aoi. It did not help to see Ranka blushing slightly and walked out of the room, leaving the three of them alone. "Now what am I going to say," thought Ichiro. The helpless expression on Spartoi's face could indicate he wasn't going to be that much of a help either.

Breaking the silence, Aoi leaned forward. It didn't take long for Ichiro and Spartoi to rush to his side and helped him up to this pillow. "Thank you," Aoi said weakly.

"It is no problem," Spartoi muttered. A silence remained in the room. Finally, Spartoi cleared his throat. "How have you been doing Aoi?"

"Not that good," Aoi replied. Spartoi mentally kicked himself for asking such an idiotic question. "How is Lemunia? Ranka told me that he also woke up as well."

"Well….we didn't see him yet," said Ichiro. "But Lemures went to see him." A silence fell on them again. Unable to withstand this, Aoi sighed.

"I am fine you guys." A look of surprise was shown on Spartoi and Ichiro's faces. "And there is no need to be shock about this." He chuckled. Aoi really chuckled! "I knew I will be losing this leg, when I protected Lemunia. I knew the damage was too big when the rail stuck right through it and broke my bones."

"I'm sorry, Aoi," Lemures apologized as he stepped into the room. His face remained sorrowful. "If you haven't saved my brother, then…"

"What I did was what I wanted to do," said Aoi. "You don't have to feel remorseful for my action. I will end up regretting it if the rail had struck your brother's chest instead. What is a leg worth if I can save a life." He smiled and silently added. "That is something my father would have said." He sighed. "The only thing I am sad about is that I won't be able to protect Ranka when she needs me."

"That isn't true," Ichiro protested. "You might have lost a leg, but…ahh." Embarrassment befell him when Lemures scowled and Spartoi shook his head. Aoi, on the other hand, laughed.

"But I still have my skill," Aoi finished it for him. "True…and there is no sense in getting depress about it." He turned to Lemures. "I've asked them but they weren't able to answer me. How is Lemunia?"

"He is doing fine," said Lemures. "He finally woke up from his coma, and the doctor said his condition seemed to be stable." A mischievous smiled appeared on his face. "He seemed to be having a fun time watching Carlua fretting all over him. I think he is enjoying his stay more than he is supposed to."

"That is good to hear. He is finally getting Carlua's attention." Just then, Ranka walked into the room with a jug of water. She headed toward the table that stood near Aoi's bed and poured a glass of water.

"You guys should be going now," said Ranka. "He still needs his rest." Spartoi, Ichiro, and Lemures looked at each other before they headed toward the door.

"We'll see you at work tomorrow, Ranka," said Ichiro. It was not a request, but more like a command. "We will need your help, now that Aoi is fine." Ranka nodded her head. The three of them waved good-bye to Aoi. However, Spartoi stilled had one more comment he would like to make.

"Are you having a fun time having Ranka fretting all over you, Aoi," Spartoi asked innocently. Aoi almost spit out the mouthful of water he was drinking. Ranka glared at them when Aoi started to choke. They decided it would be wise to leave the room before Ranka literally throw them out.

_**Next Day**_

Although Larva had told her that the department was cramp, she didn't believe it would this ridiculously packed with desks and folders. Some of the desks are inaccessible unless you climbed over a few other desks to reach to it. Ichiro happened to be unfortunately stuck with one of those desks, stood up from his desk and happily waved to them. Ranka was also surprised and she demonstrated it when one of her eyebrow lifted as she scanned the room. The room was buzzing with telephone calls and flipping papers. A few greeted Larva, Miyu, and Ranka, but majority of them continued on with their work. An angry cried came from Lemures, when Ichiro stepped on his desk again and almost knocked his coffee right off its edge. Spartoi shook his head when Lemures whacked Ichiro's leg with the folder he was holding, and cursed slightly when he almost tripped over a person's feet.

"I feel very welcome," said Ranka. "While watching them tripping all over themselves to greet us."

"I presume our desks are within the maze that is set over here," said Larva.

"And how have you deduced that, my dear Larva," Miyu asked.

Larva gave her a query look before he sighed. "Little girl. You brain must have deteriorated even more during your absence. Do you not see our stuffs located on those two desks that are in the center of this complicated maze?"

"I think you have used the wrong terminology, old man," Miyu calmly replied. "My brain has not deteriorated. It is my observation skill that has yet to recover fully from the incident."

"I see you two are up to your old routine," said Ranka with a smile. She turned her attention back to Ichiro as he stalked up to them with a frustrated Lemures following right after him. Spartoi, after painfully extracting himself from the surrounding desks which served as his confinement, patted Larva on the shoulder.

"It is great to see you again," said Spartoi and smiled at Miyu. "I see you finally brought her back to us." A small little smile lifted up on Miyu's lip and unfortunate for Spartoi, who didn't knew Miyu as long as Larva had, that smile did not seem pleasant at all. Larva shook his head lightly and hope that Spartoi will at least knew from his past experience when they met Miyu the first time in the forest cave, that his comment was not appreciated by a certain girl. But somehow, his past experience seemed to flew out of the window, along with Larva's warning sign –indicating that he should stop before he actually step on a mine- and continued on to dig his own grave. "Are you ready to face the Quarl again, Miyu?" That sealed his fate, and from the way her smile grew, Larva was sure she would not let that pass.

"You are an intelligent man, Spartoi," Miyu said coolly. The way her tone sound, Spartoi didn't knew should he be taking that as a compliment or a judgment. "But I think I need to reconsider my evaluation of you." She turned to greet Ichiro and left a bewilder Spartoi left on his track. Ichiro and Ranka couldn't help but laughed, while Lemures was just as bewilder as the man who just got insulted. Larva patted Spartoi on the shoulder.

"You should know your last question was irrelevant because she will not be standing here if she is not ready," said Larva.

"Lesson number one," said Ichiro. "Watch your wording when you are around Miyu."

"I see you must be an expert," Lemures teased. "How many times have you made the same mistake?" Ichiro blushed.

"Larva made the same mistake too," the unfortunate boy pointed out. That caused a frown to appear on Larva's face.

"I am not that eager to be reminded of my own mistake," Larva pointed out.

"How are Nagi and Yui," asked Ranka.

"They should be on the plane right now," said Miyu. "Larva and I just took them to the airport."

"Now that you mention about Yui," said Ichiro. "I have something from her that I forgot…"

"And who are these people?" They all turned to look at the young man who called out to them. Los, who was clumsily carrying a pile of folders, looked at them with a smile. He quickly thanked Ichiro when he stepped forward to help him took his pile. Adjusting his rectangular silver glasses, he gave them a boyish smile. If it weren't for his badge, no one would have known this guy was actually the head of this drug investigation department. He quickly shook Miyu and Larva's hand while he continuously adjusted his glasses. "I've heard a lot about you two," he told them. "And you too." He shook Ranka's hand. "How is Aoi doing?" Ranka told him about Aoi's condition while Los listen intently.

"I am glad to hear that he is doing fine." He pointed to their desk. "I am sure Ichiro can show you where your desk is."

"We will show them," Spartoi volunteered him and Lemures.

"Thank you. Actually, I still haven't thank you two for lending us a hand." Los bowed but Spartoi shook his head.

"It is no problem," said Lemures. "I am just glad that the Tokyo police force is allowing us to join in with these operations."

"The LAPD have sent us a letter, asking us to allow you to assist us in the capturing of Cait Sith and the Quarl. I guess our country is not the only one who is trying to capture this drug organization." He turned to Larva and blushed slightly. "I forgot that you were the undercover cop who infiltrated their organization. The LAPD have sent a record of your profile to me, and I am extremely astonished with what you have accomplished."

"I heard there will be a raid tonight," said Larva. "When will it take place? And where will it take place?" Los was momentarily shock with Larva's question. That was not what he expected to hear from a man who he just praised. However, he quickly shook off his shock and pointed to Larva's desk.

"A file that contain tonight's raid is placed on your desk."

"Thank you," said Larva. Miyu made a slight bow to him before they both walked away.

"It was nice meeting you," Los said softly. He shrugged his shoulders and headed toward his office. Meanwhile, Larva, Miyu, and Ranka headed toward their desks, while a Spartoi looked at their retreating figure in astonishment.

"Did Larva just give Los a cold shoulder?"

"No kidding," Lemures answered. "If I was Los, Larva's neck would have been in between my hands."

"Did you know who you just talked to," Ichiro hissed at Larva when Larva glided through the series of desk that were in between his way. Somehow, he could make his maneuver seemed very graceful…it was like he was floating through them. Miyu and Ranka also moved the same way, while he clumsily tried to avoid those corners that were eager to hit him.

"I know." Larva picked up a file from his desk. He turned to look at Miyu. "Do you know him?"

"I can't recall," Miyu answered. "He does look familiar, but I can't recall."

"Of course you know him," Ichiro answered. He turned to his desk and opened to upper drawer. He took out an old newspaper and plopped it on top of Miyu's desk. "Last year, the Tokyo department gave a series of reward to ten of the cops in different area located in Japan. The award is given to the people who made the most contribution to the police force." He pointed at one of the picture shown in the front page of the Daily Yomiuri. Smiling at them was a younger version of Los. "I did a research on him after I discovered he was our new supervisor. He was born in Japan by a British woman and a Japanese man. Actually, not much is known about him when he was small because he lost his family in a car accident and was taken to an orphanage with no memory of his past life. A man saw the car wreck and rescued the young boy from his dying mother's grasp. From the identification located on the mother, the police was able to identify the boy as Kino Los. He was then taken in the Holy Family Home located in Osaka. As he grew older, his intelligence earned him a scholarship which allowed him the chance to go to America and study in Harvard. After earning his degree, he went back to Japan and immediately joined in the Japanese police force. The rest was history."

Miyu nodded her head and handed the newspaper back to Ichiro. "So that was where I saw him. But…that doesn't explain where Larva saw him. Larva didn't come to this department until this year."

"I didn't say that I know him," Larva corrected her. "He just looked familiar to me, but I can't recall where I saw him."

"Probably you saw him in America," Ranka suggested.

"Probably," Larva muttered. He opened the file that contained tonight's raid and scan through the info. When Miyu was about to open her file, Ichiro pulled her to his desk.

"Yui left these with me," he said while pointing at the bunch of newspaper clips that were scattered on top of his desk. The old newspapers were all reporting the arrest of the Quarl's leader and along the heading was Miyu's father name. "She said these might be useful to you." Miyu nodded her head and took the newspaper clipping from Ichiro. Larva, watched them closely from the corner of his eyes and immediately placed his file back on top of his desk when Miyu walked passed him and headed toward her desk. He picked up one of the newspaper clipping she had and looked at it. To his amazement, she also has a clipping from the Pasadena Star Newspaper.

"I got it from the library," Miyu told him when she saw him eying that particular clipping. "I took all the report about that case and made a copy of them."

"This picture," said Larva. He took the L.A Times clipping and pointed at a picture. In that picture, Miyu's father was taking the arrested woman into the police car. A young boy, around the age of twelve or so, was struggling against the hands of two policemen. He glared at the camera in defiance as he called out for his mother. "I saw it before." Larva pointed at the young boy. "This is Cait Sith."

"This boy?" Miyu studied the picture closely and frowned.

"You've seen him?"

Miyu shook her head. However, as she looked at that picture, it reminded her of a past encounter. A young boy, had punched her on the stomach when she was walking to school. She hadn't expected the attack and was almost knocked out before she got the glimpse of the boy. She was quite sure the boy was about to attack her even further, but a man came and stopped the boy. What she heard from that boy, before she slipped away into an unconscious state, was that her father had killed his mother. As for the man, Miyu didn't recognize the man's voice, because he had spoken so softly, until it was too late. If only she had stayed awake long enough, she would have been able to point out Gia to her father and prevented her parent's death. That boy she saw, she could be quite certain he was none other than Cait Sith. Although she couldn't remember quite clearly how the boy looked like, but they way he glared at her still remained in her mind. And that boy…is not the same boy that was staring back at her in that picture posted in the LA Times.

_**Tonight**_

A bullet wheezed through the air and skimmed the upper portion of the wooden crate Miyu and Larva happened to be hiding behind. Wooden splinters scattered around them as two more bullets came flying toward their direction. To their right, approximately four crates away, Ichiro stood up from his hiding place and fired right back at the dark corner of the warehouse, where the four last remaining dealers have fled. A yelp could be heard before Ichiro ducked back to his hiding place, barely dodging the next hale of bullets that flew toward him. Ranka grimaced when one skinned her right arm, and she hid even deeper behind the crate she shared with Ichiro. An open space lay in front of them and the dealers also hid behind the crates that spread around the corner.

"Where is Los," Ranka hissed. Her arm was throbbing with pain.

"Huh? He is gone," Ichiro asked. And sure enough, their leader had disappeared. Miyu noticed the anxious expression on Ichiro's face and immediately realize Los had disappeared from his position. Her eyes scanned the area and she immediately located him, hiding behind the shadow.

"The dealers did not know he has entered into this small room," Miyu thought. And sure enough, Los had fully commanded the operation in his car when Miyu, Ichiro, Larva, and Ranka led the second raid into the warehouse. With Los's squad securing the lower portion of the warehouse and surround the warehouse, Larva, along with the rest of his Tokyo department team, ran into the warehouse with the squad particularly under Los's command. Held at gun point, the men working in the lower packaging department easily gave up. However, on the second floor, where the four leaders were holding their meeting, one of them caught wind of what was going on the first floor when some of the workers screamed and attempted to escape. They barricade the front door of the office they were holding the meeting when Larva tried to enter them. Los finally told them that they were trying to escape from the window, when he saw them coming out of the warehouse from his car.

The officers on the ground were ordered to hold their fires when the four dealers made their way clumsily down to the ground, while the police waited patiently to apprehend them. But to their surprises, one of the dealer took fire and shot one of the policemen on the chest, forcing the other policemen to scatter and took cover. By that time, Larva had broke through the door and Miyu and him managed to look out the window and saw an infuriating Los stepping out of his car. With his gun posed in front of him, he took aim at one of the dealer and shot the man clearly on his left leg. The man collapsed and because of this, it forced the rest of them to retreat into a room located at the bottom of the floor. A skinny albino man with long blond hair, while wearing a red pant, turned around and fired at Los, while a big fat man with receding hair have broke the window of a room located on the first floor. They retreated into the room, while firing another round of bullet toward Los, who hid behind his car. Some of them were fired at Larva and Miyu's direction when Larva's bullet caught the skinny man on his shoulder. The man unwillingly dropped his gun and his partner, a woman with a heart shape face, glared back at Larva with her ebony hair flowing behind her. She pushed the man into the room and fired at Miyu and Larva's direction. It would have hit Larva had Miyu neglected to push him behind the wall. Not wanting to waste any time, Ichiro and Ranka started to hurry toward the lower room even before Miyu and Larva could tell them where they have went. Ichiro was able to detect correctly where the dealers went by listening to the direction of the scattered window glass. He and Ranka waited for Larva and Miyu to reach toward them, before the broke through the door. As soon as Ichiro kicked open the door, three bullets whizzed through the door, and he was able to dodge them just in time. Unfortunately, two of the police member were too curious and have ventured toward their direction. The bullet caught them on the chest and Los, who finally ran into the room, ordered the rest of the man to clear the area and bring the two wounded policemen back to the car. Although all of them were wearing bulletproof vest, it was still best to not take any chances at all.

Los was infuriated with the unexpected changes, and was about to charge into there blindly if Ranka did not pulled him back. Miyu took out her pocket mirror and watched the reflection of the room behind them as she used it to scan the room. She silently mouthed the location of possible hiding place to them and with that in minds; Ichiro and Miyu were the first people who ran into the room. With the two of them boldly returning the fire back to the dealer, the Larva and Ranka entered into the room, while firing back at the dealer as they took their hiding place. To Ranka's surprise, Los also slipped into the room with them, hiding behind them. Now he hid in the shadow while he slowly closed in at their enemy.

With his eyes adjusting to the darkness, Los slowly treaded his way toward the four dealers. From what he could see, the only one who seemed to be standing is the woman with ebony hair. The other three lay scattered on the floor and the man with the bullet wound on his leg seemed to be in critical condition. If this continued any longer, the man might die from excessive lost of blood. As for the man who broke the window, he was dead when Ichiro's bullet caught him on the chest. Los raised his gun and aimed at the panicking woman; however, she must have sense the danger that approached her and turned to his direction. Luckily for Los, he dove into hiding behind a steel crate when she started to fire at him. Ranka took this opportunity and aimed at the woman's arm. The bullet pierced the woman's right shoulder and forced her to drop the gun. Taking this as a cue, Ichiro climbed over his hiding place with his gun aimed at the four dealers. Larva, Miyu, Ranka, and Los followed right after him. With so many guns aimed right at them, the woman finally surrendered.

"Call the ambulance," Los commanded as he placed his gun back into his holster and headed out to the main storage room. Ichiro and Ranka already took out their handcuffs and slipped them on the woman's wrist. Miyu and Larva offered to help but the two of them waved them away. In the next half hour, the ambulance arrived and the three wounded suspects were heading toward the hospital. Larva and Ranka already headed toward their cars. Ichiro was about to do the same when Miyu stopped him.

"Did my sister only give you those newspaper clippings," she asked him.

"Well…she did give me a stack of files that your father had copied about all of the cases he had done about the Quarl," Ichiro whispered. "The reports included lab testing and many confidential reports." He looked around him suspiciously. "I didn't bring it to the police station because of those files are confidential…and well, your father basically broke the law by photocopying them without permission."

"Your actions are not making us less conspicuous," Miyu said dryly when she noticed how often Ichiro was shifting his leg. This boy still needed some more training before he could actually hide any uncomfortable he feeling he might have. "If you do not want people to notice you, you should stop fidgeting." Recently, Ichiro seemed to be blushing quite easily. She couldn't help but wonder whether she was correct in asking him to do this for her. But as for now, only he had access to the files that her sister had left for her, and the members of the Quarl didn't knew that he had them. "Now," Miyu lowered her voice. "I would want you to do something for me." She whispered something into his ear, and he nodded his head in understanding.

**_Two Weeks Later_**

"Why do I have to be here," muttered Hayako as he sat in the back of the police car. Sitting beside her was a woman, known quite for her notorious deed. In fact, she was the reason for why the police force had suddenly shifted all their attention to the Quarl. Unconcerned about her current condition, the woman just continued to smile as the police car cruised toward the court to hear her sentence. Hayako could only stifle his yawn and tried to stay alert for this early morning. Luckily, the car ride was short or else he would have died from boredom. Waiting for them at the front steps of the court, was a girl with long brown hair which was held back by a red ribbon. Beside her stood a young man with a long black trench coat, and he called out to a young woman with shoulder length ebony hair to come forward when he saw the car. Although Hayako did not knew who they were, but from all of the newspaper clippings these three people been appearing, she could easily identify them as none other than Miyu, Larva, and Ranka.

Miyu silently pulled her jacket closer to her body and strolled down the stairs to greet Hayako when she stepped out of the car. Hayako eagerly shook their hands and immediately went to the other side to open the door for Gima. Gima elegantly stood out from the car and held her head high as Hayako closed the door behind her. Before Gima could even took three steps toward the court house, a loud gun shot rang out and as Hayako moved to safety, Gima fell down to the floor with a gun wound in her chest. Right when Larva heard the gun shot, he immediately threw his arm around Miyu and protectively pulled her behind the police car. Ranka remained crouching next to them as they tried to locate the shot. Chaos was insured when cars started to speed up and screech to a halt. People who were strolling on the street screamed and started to scatter in a disorder fashion.

Hiding her annoyance for Larva's sudden chivalric action, Miyu shifted under Larva's arm and tried to locate the exact location the shot could be fired from. There were tall buildings that surrounded the court, allowing a good clear area for target practice especially in this early morning, but in this case, the target was Gima. Miyu's eyes landed on a building that stood approximately diagonal from the police car. One the roof was a man, whose black coat flapped against the wind. While the other's eyes were trained on another building, that man seemed to be waiting for Miyu's attention. In fact, one he caught her head turning toward his direction, he started to wave his hand.

"Gia!" Her eyes widen when the man's name silently popped up in her mind. Although she couldn't see his face clearly, she would never forget that man's cocky attitude. He blew her a kiss and turned around and disappeared from the roof. To Larva's surprise, Miyu suddenly wrenched herself from his grasp and stood up from her hiding place. He managed to pull her down just in time when a bulled whizzed passed her head.

"Where is he," asked Larva. "Where is Gia?" How he knew it was Gia, Miyu didn't know. She just pointed at the building where Gia was and continued to stay behind the protection of the police car. Ranka was already radioing for help. Without a clear target, neither one of them were willing to fire to a building that might be fill with hostages including their shooters. A few minutes passed by and her frustration grew.

"The police will be here any minute," Ranka reported to them.

"Tell them to stay back," Larva commanded. "They might get hit. We will…" His words left unfinished when he felt Miyu tightening her grip on his arm. From the building to the left where Miyu spotted Gia, a man came walking out of the building casually. He took a glance toward the police car direction and waved to them. Larva took out his gun and was about to shoot at him, when Miyu pushed his head down to avoid a bullet that was aimed at his head. Gia's laughter could be heard when he stepped into his car, which was waiting for him right in front of the building, and drove off. By the time the rest of the cops have arrived, and have silently sneaked into the suspected building, Gia was already long gone when the police came down with the arrested shooters.

----------------------

Larva silently stood near the door, guarding Room 103 while the interrogation took place. Five hours passed by since the coroner pronounced the death of Gima. Three hours have passed since the news reporter caught the wind of the shooting and started to swamp Los, wringing him for any details they can get their greedy hands on.

Miyu was extremely startled when he was able to know Gia's presence at the shooting. What else could cause a diligent detective, such as Miyu, to suddenly made that irrational decision and reveled herself to those shooter? She was a sitting duck for god sake! Larva shifted his feet to ease the numbing feeling that started to build up in his leg. And although she didn't seem really surprise, he did work long enough with her to notice those subtle expressions. But now…he stood outside the room where she was interrogating the shooters, and the frustrating thing was, he was suppose to be in there with her!

But when he was about to step into the room fifteen minutes ago, Miyu just tapped him on the arm with a folder and told him calmly that she would like to interview them alone. Normally, he would not have let her went off alone, but he trusted her as his partner and he knew that there must be a reason why Gia showed himself to them. The answer to his action might just be revealed to Miyu alone.

-------------------------

Since the time that she entered the room with the young teenage before her, he did not spoke a word. Nor did she pressured him to speak anything as she opened her file and played with the pen in her hand. The pen continuously flipped up and down at each tap that it made when it hit the table. With her eyes glued to the file, Miyu did not notice the insolent smirk on that handsome boyish face that observed her. To catch her attention, the boy whistled at her but she continued to ignore him. Irritation slowly replaced the boy's amusement and he slowly reached his hand over to touch her face. In a flash, Miyu withdraw her gun from her holster and placed it on the table. With the barrel turned toward him, the boy immediately withdrew his hand.

"You're one damn icy woman," the boy hissed. He quickly regretted his words when she released the safety on the gun. Damn it…she really was going to pull the trigger. He watched in silence when she slowly closed the file in her hand and smiled at him. Swallowing down his nervousness, the insolence smile returned back to his face. "I can sue you for waving that ugly gun at me."

"Not when you are dead," Miyu answered cheerfully. Panic rushed into the boy's mind when she raised the gun up to his head. She was insane! No damn normal cop with shoot a person they were interrogating! Not like this!

"I have a message for you," he blurted out in a hurry. The gun was still hovering in front of him.

She yawned. For god sake, the damn woman yawned. "I don't know you," she replied nonchalantly.

"Not me," he squeaked. "It's from Gia! He said that you will want to hear it."

A frown appeared on the girl's face and that made her look even more uncompromising. "I am not interested in what he has to say."

This was not going according to what Gia had told him. Not even close to what he predicted! Great Lord, was he going to die here? Well…he might as well get his mission done. The young boy reached into his pant's pocket and took out a paper. He slid it across the table. "He said to call him if you are ever lonely. If not, he will call you." When he was done, he was sure the girl was going to pull the trigger. However, to his utter shock, the girl just pocketed the paper and smiled at him. She stood up and placed the gun back to the holster. Without another word to him, she strolled toward the door and opened it. He saw her exchanged a few word with a guy with blue hair before she walked away. The guy looked displease as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

After losing his cool in front of the girl, the young teenage decided he must retained back his image or else all of his gang would start to make fun of him, if he ever got back out again. He stuck up his chin and stared at Larva in defiance. A frowned appeared on that pretty young man's face and he silently plopped the folder down. However, before he sat down in front of the young boy, he took out his gun a placed it on the table. With the barrel facing him once again, the young boy couldn't help but think have the police force gotten so desperate that they end up hiring some insanely trigger-happy people.

--------------------------

"That man didn't take any shit for his answer," the young boy thought when he sat alone in his cell. Larva looked very willing to send some bullets into his body when he tried to lie to that ill-temper cop. As the young boy tossed around his cell on his cold hard bed, he watched in silence as the security guard passed his cell and headed on to the next cell. The young boy smirked and reached into his pant's pocket. He took out a small bag of white powder and grinned. It was a reward from Gia. Gia had given him this reward and patted him on the shoulder, before he left. The incompetent police, who searched him, neglected to search his pocket. Ready for the high this drug will give him; the boy placed the powder substance on his finger and snorted it through his nose.

By the time morning came along, the security guard rang the alarm in a hurry when he found the boy's cold body lying on the floor.

_**Morning**_

"An overdose," Ranka told Aoi, while she peeled the skin off an orange. "Somehow, the person who was arresting the boy did not perform a full search on him, which allowed the boy to get access to the drug."

"It was murder," Aoi deduced. He smiled when Ranka plopped the orange into his hand. Somehow, after Spartoi's small comment about how much she was fretting after him, Ranka had withdrew her concern for him. Given the chance, he would very much like it if he could kill Spartoi without breaking the law.

Ranka nodded her head to his unspoken question. "Yes. An investigation performed on the mixture has shown that the mixture contained cocaine and heroine and both of them were in the purest form. Although it is normally injected into the blood stream, the boy snorted it. The toxicity of the two drugs mixed together was able to kill any kind of men. But to make certain, the killer also mixed in some cyanide into the drug." She sighed and stood up from her chair. "So I guess you can say that it was murder." She walked up to the door and paused. "There is something else that I forgot to tell you."

"What is it, Ranka," asked Aoi.

"It is about Miyu," she said hesitantly. "She is now being put under investigation for the murder of Sato Yao." Aoi's eyes widen in surprise.

"For the murder of that boy?!" Aoi asked repeated in disbelief. "What happen?"

"It seems like Yao left a dying message. He wrote Miyu's name on the floor before he died." Ranka sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, because you will need all the rest you can get." She closed the door behind her. What she didn't notice was the dismay that flashed on Aoi's face.

"Rest…" Aoi didn't know whether he should be amused or frustrated when he heard that word. It was true that the doctor told him to rest. And it was true that his urge for stuffing back that word into the doctor's throat increased each boring day he stayed in this hospital room. But he could definitely tell Ranka that he rest would not come that easily to him, not when Ichiro had dropped by his room and gave him such an important mission. He sighed and reached down the lower drawer of the cabinet right next to his bed. Taking out a file and a portable laptop, he plopped it down on the movable table in front of him and continued with his investigation. If the things that Ichiro told him were true, then the whole department might be in jeopardy.

-----------------

Parking his motorcycle in the parking lot of the little café located near their old headquarter, Larva got off his vehicle and started to stroll toward the restaurant door. When he opened the door, a part-time worker spotted him and gave him a small smile. She pointed at a familiar table near the window. Nodding his head, Larva headed straight to the table, where it was occupied by a young girl with a red ribbon in her hair. She was talking in the phone, but she quickly hanged up when she saw his reflection on the window. The waitress followed right after him as he took his seat in front of the young girl. Without even waiting for the waitress to put the menu down, he ordered himself a cup of coffee. When the waitress retreated away, the young girl finally took a sip from her glass of tomato juice and looked up at him.

"What do you think, Larva?"

Her question could encompass many things, but Larva knew what she was asking for. It was not doubt that the Quarl was the one who gave the boy the package of drug. However, because Miyu's name was written on the floor of the cell, everyone started to suspect her. It didn't help that she was left alone with the boy for at least half an hour on that day. Nor did it help that the security camera, located in Room 103, had malfunction. On one note, this was something Larva couldn't help but be suspicious about.

"The Quarl is trying to isolate you," Larva told her. Miyu nodded her head. She knew the most incriminating evidence against her was the small little paper that Yao gave to her on their little quiet session. How Los knew that paper existed in her pocket was a question she would like to ask him herself. But given the fact that she had Gia's number and the fact that Yao did wrote her name on the cell. As if he had read his mind, Larva shook his head. "He must be trying to warn you about Gia or…" He cut off his sentence when the waitress brought his cup of coffee to him. She bowed and left them alone. "Or he is trying to frame you for his death. Either way, we will never know unless we catch the killer. By the way, now that we are talking about this, can you tell me why you didn't tell me that Gia gave his telephone to you?"

Miyu shrugged her shoulder. "I didn't think it was important."

"Then can you at least tell me what did you and Gia just talked about?" A slight glimmer from her eyes indicated he guessed correctly. A smile appeared on her lip, and he knew she will not let him know without a fight. "You do remember the promise that we made with each other?"

"I do," Miyu replied calmly. "And I think you should remember it too." She took a sip of her tomato juice and placed it back on the table. "The Quarl has already made their move."

"I know," said Larva. "And I am worry about your safety. Can you tell me what did Gia said to you?"

"Look around you, Larva. Can you hear the unspoken word? Can you…"

"Miyu." His impatience and anger could be heard from his voice. Annoyingly, she just smiled at him.

"I won't tell you, Larva." She finally answered him. "As for now, they have nothing on me. Although I have turned in my badge, they still don't have substantial evidence to say that I am the one who killed Yao." She drained the rest of her drink in one gulp. "Now if you will excuse me." Larva watched her retreating figure in silent frustration.

He decided it would be best if he trailed her.

--------------

"Alright…that does it!" Lemures slammed his folder on the desk and glared at Ichiro. "Why the hell are you staring at me for?!" To his great irritation, Ichiro just stared back at him blankly.

"Huh?" Spartoi could swear Lemures would have strangled Ichiro for giving that innocent reply if the law did not forbid him from doing so.

"Calm down, Lemures," Spartoi said softly. "What is the matter with you today? PMS?" He couldn't help but wonder why Lemures seem to want to kill him instead of Ichiro. Had he said something wrong?

"I'm sorry," Ichiro apologized when Lemures words finally sank into his mind. "I didn't realize I was staring. I was thinking about something, so I didn't really pay attention to where I was looking."

"Well…stare at another direction," Lemures growled.

"Whoa…you're so grouchy for today. What happen? PMS?"

"Damn it! I don't have PMS!"

"Alright, Lemures," Spartoi laughed nervously. "We know that you don't have it, but do you have to announce it to the whole office?" That was when Lemures realized that everyone was staring at him. Some of the women in the office even have the nerve to laugh at his sudden outburst. He felt like dropping Ichiro and Spartoi down the ocean with a rock –weighting a ton- tied to their feet.

"I know that you are frustrated because your brother is in the hospital," said Ichiro.

"And what about Aoi," Spartoi piped in.

"And Miyu's recent incident didn't help your nerve either."

"And don't forget about Larva."

"With so many things happening to you, it is no wonder that you are grouchy and moody," Ichiro finished. Spartoi nodded his head in affirmation. Lemures didn't even know whether it was the actual incident that increased his irritation or the fact that these two just named them off so casually. Damn it! He wanted to shoot the both of them.

"I think we have enough fun for today," said Spartoi, making a hasty retreat before Lemures really did shoot them. "Now let's get back to work." He turned back to his work like nothing happened and started to whistle a lively tune. Ichiro also beat a hasty retreat when he saw Lemures staring at Spartoi with icy cold look that could have killed Spartoi if he could. It didn't help ease Ichiro's mind when he saw Lemures flexing his fingers like he would very much like to have it on one particular neck. Taking the file on his desk, Ichiro headed toward Los's office and knocked on the door. A small muffled voice told him to come in.

"What is the matter, Ichiro," Los asked tiredly. The recent raids and current issues have been taking a toll on his stamina. He grimaced when Ichiro placed another folder on his desk. "Do I need to sign this?" Ichiro nodded his head and clumsily took out a pen. Before he could hand it to Los, the pen slipped from his finger and rolled right under Los's desk.

"I can get it," Ichiro volunteered. Before Los could protest, Ichiro was already under the desk, searching for his pen. Los sighed and took a pen from his desk. Before Ichiro found his pen, he finished signing his signature. He closed the file and winced when Ichiro hit his head on his table when he was getting up from the floor.

"Are you alright," asked Los and Ichiro nodded his head. Handling the folder to Ichiro, Los shook his head when the young boy closed the door behind him. It was a wonder how such a clumsy person could be in this police force.

Rubbing his head from the recent impact, he scowled at the throbbing pain in his head. Well…he smiled. At least he got what he needed, and it was safely tuck in his left pant pocket.

--------------------

Caretta Shiodome is a shopping mall that consisted of fifty-eight shops and thirty-three restaurants. Quite frankly, in Larva's mind, this monolith featured nothing really spectacular. But the attractions that existed in this mall currently contained no importance in Larva's mind. What occupied Larva's full attention all rested on the witty little girl he was trailing right behind. When Miyu turned in her badge a few hours ago, Ichiro happened to be talking to him. In fact, he wouldn't even call their conversation an actual conversation. From the time Miyu stepped into Los's office till the time she stepped out, the only word that escaped from Ichiro's mouth consisted of "umm" and "hold on." What he was trying to say clearly escaped from Larva's ability to comprehend. The only logical sentence that came out of his mouth was when he grabbed Larva's arm and prevented him from going after Miyu. It was then when Ichiro told him to look after Miyu. Although Larva would have done the same even if that young detective didn't told him to do so, there was something in Ichiro's voice that told him a hidden double meaning to his words.

--------------------

"So he is still following me." Irked by his determination, Miyu couldn't help but noticed that Larva paid no heed in trying to hide his intention. In fact, when Miyu glanced back to see whether he continued to follow her or not, he waved back right to her. She took a deep breath to hide her frustration as she stepped into the 47-story mall.

While waiting for the elevator to arrive, Miyu recounted her conversation with Gia.

"_If you want to see me, meet me at the restaurant on the top floor of __Caretta Shiodome. I will have a table waiting for you." _

That was all he said to her before he hanged up. No announcement and no introduction. That was all he said, and she could recognize his voice anywhere and anytime. Miyu scanned the area around her. There weren't that many people walking around her since school was still in session and many people were still stuck at work. A smile appeared on her face as she slipped her hand into her pant pocket and pulled out her cell phone. Ten feet away from where she stood, a phone rang and the answered the phone with a calm hello.

"Old man," said Miyu. "Do you want to join me in the elevator ride?"

"I was thinking the exact same thing, little girl." Larva walked up right next to her and hung up his cell phone. In silence they stood together, waiting for the elevator to arrive to their level. A small chime indicated the arrival of their awaited transportation. With no one boarding the elevator except for them, Miyu just tapped the button for the floor that she needed when Larva stepped into the elevator right after her. The elevator ascended in a rapid speed.

"Do you intend to follow me for the rest of the day," asked Miyu without looking at him. Her eyes continued to stare straight ahead, watching the numbers for each floor lighting up as the elevator passed them by.

Staring straight ahead, Larva also watched the numbers with her. A small chuckle escaped from him. "Do you remember what you said to Spartoi when you came back to us right after the bombing incident? You just made the same mistake that you criticized him on."

"You are getting quite clever these days, Larva."

"Perhaps I am. Whether a person is clever or not, it all depends on the judgment of the perceiver."

"Larva…" She paused for a moment before she continued on. "This is my business…not yours."

Frowning, Larva finally broke his glaze from the blinking numbers. "You must love contradiction. Have you forgotten what you told me in the restaurant? You told me to remember our promise."

A small laughter escaped from her. "Keep that in mind, Larva," she told him cheerfully. "Keep that in mind." Although he knew her for quite a while, the reason for her current behavior clearly escape Larva's comprehension.

Finally, they reached to the upper floor. Due to the quick acceleration upward, Larva could feel a slight discomfort in his ear when it popped while they were going upward. Stepping out of the elevator, he let Miyu led the way as she walked pass the outer decoration and headed toward the waitress. The waitress greeted them politely, and Miyu quickly glanced at Larva before she turned back to the waitress again.

"I have a table reserved under my name."

"May I please have your name?"

"It should be under Yamano Miyu."

"Please wait for a moment." The waitress took out the list of tonight's reservation and scrolled down the list. She did not have to look far because her name was listed amongst the first four names. She nodded her head and bowed to them. "Your table will be ready in the next half-an-hour, Miss. Yamano."

"Half an hour?" Miyu asked in surprise.

"It is elementary, my dear Miyu." Miyu raised her eyes to Larva and frowned when he gave her an insolent smile. Somehow his smile irritated her, because it resembled so much like her smile. He pointed his finger to the front door. Hanging on the front door was a closed sign. "The restaurant doesn't open until half an hour later." She didn't know whether it was the growing smile on Larva's face or the fact that she didn't realized the sign, but her irritation about this situation increased every single second that passed by.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious information, my dear Larva," Miyu said dryly. She took out her cell phone when it rang. Larva watched her intently while she answered her phone. A smile appeared on her face and to his surprise, she hung up very quickly. Without a word to him, she spun around and headed toward the hallway next to the elevator.

"Where are you going," asked Larva.

"To the restroom," Miyu answered. She opened the door to the restroom and before she stepped in, she turned to him. "If you want to come in, please feel free. However, I would like to remind you that the other ladies might not be that understanding, when they see a guy in a women's restroom."

"I'll be waiting outside," Larva replied back flatly. Annoyance settled upon him when Miyu chuckled softly. For fifteen minutes, he stood there in silence. At each passing minute, his worries increased. "What is she doing?" He muttered in frustration. Without wasting anymore time, he placed his hand on the handle of the restroom and yanked the door open. A woman, with big round brown eyes, opened her little mouth and screamed when she saw Larva barging into the ladies restroom. In a split second, Larva took out his badge and flashed it in front of her. "Shut up," he snapped when the woman continued to scream. If she won't quiet down, I will have an angry mob crowding around here. "I am a policeman." But still, the woman continued to scream like a banshee. Ignoring the screaming woman, he tried to look around her. All of the stalls were open and only the hysterical woman seemed to be in the room. Before Larva knew it, the woman took her purse and started to strike him with it. He quickly dodged to his right and avoided the woman's attack. Before she had the opportunity to swing her purse at him again, he caught hold of her wrist and dragged her out of the restroom. By the time he got back to the hallway, the manager of the restaurant and the waitress were rushing toward him. Neither one of their faces seemed welcoming as they walked up to him.

"What the hell is going…" That was all the manager was able to get out of his mouth before Larva flashed his badge to the man.

"I am a…"

"He is a well-known molester," the woman rasped as she yanked her wrist away from his grip.

"I am a detective from the Tokyo branch department," he said calmly, trying to hide his anger. "I was waiting for my partner, a girl with long brown hair that was held back with a red ribbon. She didn't come back out after fifteen minutes, and I got a little bit worried about her." He turned to the woman and frowned. "Who told you that I was a molester?"

"The girl detective," she snapped back at him. "She showed me her badge and told me that there was a sexual molester waiting outside the woman's restroom. She said she had been waiting in this restroom for three weeks so she could catch the molester." She blushed when he eyes landed on his badge the first time. "When you barged into the restroom, I just assumed it was you."

"Where is the girl," Larva demanded, but he didn't wait for the answer. With all of their attention focused on this little commotion, no one noticed the little girl who slipped out of the restroom quietly and headed toward the end of the hallway toward the location of the back stairway. When Larva turned around to face the woman's restroom again, he saw the door to the back stairway closing shut. He snatched his badge from the manager's hand and ran toward the back stairway. When he yanked the door open, the stairway was empty. "Damn that Miyu," he cursed as he stood near the stair, while trying to decide which way he should pursue her. He couldn't help but wonder whether she decided to go to the roof or downward. But before he could decide, he heard a small noise coming from behind him.

"Larva." He recognized it was Miyu's voice. But as he turned around to face her, he felt a small pushed on his back. Before he knew it, he toppled forward and his body started to roll down the stairs.

----------------------

"What the heck happen, Larva," asked Ichiro as he walked back and forth in the hospital room. Sitting on the chair, next to Larva's bed, was Ranka. She frowned at Ichiro's behavior and pointed at a chair. He ignored him.

"I don't know," Larva answered. He grunted slightly when the pain from left broken leg reminded him of the incident.

"What do you mean that you don't know," snapped Ichiro. "How did you fall down the stair? And where is Miyu? Isn't she with you?"

"She gave me the slip," Larva simply replied. The damn painkiller did not help at all. He could still feel the sharp pain on his leg.

"Ichiro, calm down," said Ranka. "If Miyu want to give him the slip, there was nothing he could do about it. As we all know, Miyu is far cleverer than Larva."

"Thanks for your compliment," Larva said dryly. "Can you both just leave me alone? Your constant questioning is giving me a headache."

"But…"

"No buts, Ichiro," said Ranka. She stood up from her chair and started to push the protesting Ichiro out of his room. "Rest well, Larva." That was all she said to him before she closed the door behind him.

"Rest well," Larva muttered. Resting was not the top priority in his list. Right now, he was more worried about Miyu. After she had pushed him down the stair, he could still remember how she calmly walked down the stairs and made her escape. Footsteps could be heard when the manager, along with the waitress came rushing toward the back stairway when they heard his yelp. Quite frankly, he didn't even recall that he yelped when he fell. Luckily, he only obtained a broken leg, but still one question bothered him. Why did she push him down the stair?

--------------------------

With the waitress and manager rushing in and out of the stairway, they did not notice a man who was hiding near the accident scene. No…he shook his head. He would not call it accident because it was a deliberate murder.

He chuckles as he waved the photo in front of him. Captured, quite clearly on the photo was the picture of the young girl in action when she pushed her partner down the stair. He had carefully taken the picture and slowly sneaked back up to the roof. When the ambulance came, to take that fallen man away, he laid quietly on top of the roof, enjoying the sun. Once everything calmed down, all he did was just strolled back down the stair and took the 46th floor exit and used the elevator from there.

"I was hoping that Larva would reveal Miyu's misdeed," he mused as he got into his car. "But unfortunately, he is such a devoted partner that he doesn't even blame her for pushing him down the stair." Well…he was the one who ordered her to do so. But he could bet, that Miyu wouldn't even guess the purpose of his action. With the roll of film in his hand, he opened his cell phone and called a number.

"Misaki speaking for the Daily Yomiuri," a sweet girl answered. "Can I help you?"

"I am wondering are you interested in a photo that I have," he offered.

_**Next Morning**_

Lemunia yawned and slowly lifted himself from the hospital bed. The small dull pain from his head still reminded him of the concussion that he received a few weeks ago. The damage to his right hemisphere, near the frontal lobe, was only minimum. All of his motor skill and cognitive skills seemed to be intact. However, for the first few weeks he had underwent some therapy to get his motor skill functioning to its normal state.

Looking around him, Lemunia noticed it was only eight in the morning. Carlua won't be visiting him until two hours later, now that he seemed to be doing fine. He sighed and silently wished that Carlua could be here right now as he reached for the Daily Yomiuri. However, his wish quickly fluttered away when he saw the front page. His jawed dropped wide open when he stared at the picture and the heading.

-------------------

"Oh boy," Aoi muttered when he read the first page. "Larva is going to go ballistic about this. What do you think?" He handed the newspaper to a boy, who sat next to him. The boy smiled.

"The old man needs some excitement in his life," the boy answered back with amusement.

"Not this kind of excitement. And beside, can't you be a little bit more sympathetic to him," Aoi scolded. "He is in the dark in regarding to his matter." He paused and reconsidered his words when the boy gave him a questioning look. "Well, not exactly in the dark."

The boy just smiled at him and stood up from his chair. His eye glanced toward the hallway and landed on a young man as he hobbled toward their room on his clutches. In his mouth was a copy of the Daily Yomiuri's front page. "May I use your restroom?" Aoi chuckled.

"What if I say no?"

"I will still use it." Aoi shook his head and quickly turned his attention to the door when the young boy slammed the restroom door shut behind him.

"Just in time too," thought Aoi when Larva pushed the door open with his clutches. "Hey!" He called out to Larva. "Are you enjoying your walk?"

"Shut up," Larva muttered as he staggered toward Aoi. The newspaper scattered down the floor when he opened his mouth. If Larva's grouchy behavior did not surprised Aoi, he sure did surprised Aoi when he cursed in frustration.

"The pain killer is not working is it?" He knew he hit the bulls-eye when Larva scowled and glared at him. It was not very often he ever seen Larva so…how can he put it correctly. Ah…yes, fluster and emotional. In fact, he never saw him like this before…even during the time that Miyu was missing. But well….this time, the circumstance wasn't better than that time. It might be even worst that it was.

"I see you read the news already," Larva grunted as he sat on the empty seat located right next to Aoi's seat. He nodded toward the news paper that laid spread out on his bed.

"Yeah, I…." To his surprise, he door banged right open and Lemunia came running in. By the way he was running, Aoi couldn't help but suspect his so called motor skill problem was some cooked up concoction to trick Carlua to take care of him. "Maybe not," he thought when Lemunia fell down on the floor in an awkward position.

"Have you read the news," Lemunia asked him. His breath was irregular due to the running he had done when he ran from his room all the way to Aoi's room. "It said that Miyu pushed Larva down the stair on purpose and that she was trying to murder him! It can't be…ahhhh!!!" He screamed when he finally noticed Larva's presence, and his eyes widen in shock when it landed on Larva's left leg, which was still in a cast. "Larva! Why are you here? And that cast?" He glanced at the newspaper. "Don't tell me it is true!"

"Quiet down," Aoi told him calmly. "If you won't stop yelling from the top of your lung, the nurse will be running in…" He sighed when a nurse opened the door to his room. She looked unpleased. "Speak of the devil."

"Excuse me," the nurse demanded when she heard what Aoi said. "This is a hospital." She gave them each a deadly glare. "You need to quiet down so all of the other patients can rest."

"I am sorry," Larva said politely. He stood up from his chair and gave her an awkward bow. "We will keep the noise down." Either she was shock about his sudden politeness or either she was surprised about his good look, she blushed and nodded her head. She still gave them a glare, before she left the room. Larva sat back down on the chair and tapped the newspaper on Aoi's lap. "I know the Quarl are the one who took this picture. And I can guess the exact person who ordered Miyu do this to me. Now…" He paused and leaned forward. "I want to know what you and Ichiro are up to."

Luckily, Aoi has good restraint or else his eyes would have drifted toward the restroom. "Come walk with me, Larva. But first…let me go to the restroom." That was all he said when he went to get his clutches. Larva waited patiently when Aoi stood up from his bed with his clutches and went into the restroom. A few minute later, Larva could hear a flush and a minute later, Aoi stepped out of the restroom with his clutches tucked clumsily under him. Lemunia seemed confused as ever as he watched the two of them slowly wobbled out of the room. When the three of them were gone, the young boy stepped out of the restroom and headed straight for the bottom drawer of the cabinet. Sure enough, as Aoi told him, a laptop laid in there.

The young boy expertly connected the cable and located the file Aoi told him to find. Taking a pen and a pad from the cabinet top, he wrote down the address on the screen and closed it. He carefully placed the laptop back in its original place. As for the pad and the pen, he pocketed them and stepped out of the door. The ending was coming soon.

-------------------------

"How long is this going to go on," thought Los as he leaned back on his chair. For the whole morning, news reporters were swarming in and out of the police department, demanding for information about Miyu and Larva. Worst of all, Larva seemed to have disappeared from the hospital. Aoi and Lemunia both swore they have not seen him since after they took a walk outside.

"Can I come in," asked Ichiro. He opened the door without waiting for Los answer. "I got a file that you need to sign, Sir."

Los sighed and snatched the file from Ichiro's hand. He quickly took a pen and signed his signature. "Have they found Larva yet?"

"No they haven't. He is probably trying to avoid the media." Ichiro smiled.

"This is no laughing matter!" Los snapped at Ichiro and tossed the pen on the table. "Take the file and get out of my office. Make sure today's operation is successful, do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Ichiro answered and hurried out of the room. He sighed and shook his head. As he headed back to his desk, he reached for his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Tenchi."

"Yes," answered the boy.

"You got the address from Aoi yet?"

"Yes."

"Good….because we are heading there tonight. Make sure you get out of there before we arrive."

"I can't do that, Ichiro."

"I must have heard it wrong," thought Ichiro and he addressed the next question to the receiver. "What did you say, Tenchi?" When he heard what Tenchi said, he thought she must be mad. Before he could say something else to dissuade her, he heard a voice calling out for Tenchi.

"I have to go, Ichiro." Tenchi smiled, before she hanged up the phone. With her back facing the person who just called her, she slipped the cell-phone into the jacket pocket before she turned around to face her addresser. The smile remained on her face as she greeted her partner and the young girl who stood behind him.

----------------------

Five hours earlier, Carlua was quite surprise to read the newspaper when she woke up this morning. With Pazusa gone right after the night they captured the three brothers, she was left alone to watch over the house until Larva returned. But recently, as Lady Luck had abandoned them, Larva and Lemunia seemed to enjoy their visit to the hospital. So much that they decided to stay there for these coming days or week. As Carlua ran out of the house and basically jumped in front of a taxi to stop them, she knew it was not Larva, nor Lemunia's fault for having those accidents occurring on them. She scrambled into the taxi and quickly ordered the taxi driver to go to the hospital before the taxi driver could give her a lecture about the danger pertaining to her action. The taxi driver, which was a middle age man with stomach as big as a basketball, huffed and started the car. He mumbled something under his breath and annoyance quickly flashed on his face when Carlua paid no heed to his displeasure. In fact, the object of her attention remained clench within her hand. Once in a while, during the whole trip, she would take a glance at the newspaper and frown. She had once believed that Miyu would betray Larva and was working for the Quarl. Her belief almost cost her life and Larva's life to prove her error. Miyu almost lost her life as well. As she looked at the newspaper clipping in her hand, she knew there must be some mistake or misunderstanding.

When she arrived to the hospital, it was already eleven o'clock. She quickly paid the taxi driver and gave him a huge tip, which finally brought a huge smile on the driver's face. She did not wait to hear the flowery good-byes the driver was calling out to her when she closed the taxi door behind her and semi-ran toward the entrance to the hospital. Nor did she pay attention to the morning air or the nice open grass area that surrounded the hospital. She did not notice the young boy, who stood near one of the benches placed near the main walkway. The boy waved to her and ran after her when she breezed passed him. Right before she could reach to the door, the young boy took hold of her arm and swung her around. Her scream remain lost in her throat as she swung to face him. Stumbling slightly due to the lost of balance, she quickly glared at the boy who greeted her. Her eyes widen in surprise when she notice the familiar smile on that girly face. Before she could utter her attacker's name, her intruder linked her arm into his arm and started to walk away from the entrance, pulling her along with him.

"How have you been doing, Carlua," the boy greeted her pleasantly. They strolled slowly into the grassy area in a leisure walk. In his outward appearance, he seemed calm but his eyes continuously scanned their surrounding. He tapped Carlua on the hand and smiled at her. "Relax or you will seem even more suspicious."

"What are you doing here, Mi…"

"Tenchi," the boy interrupted her. He nodded his head to one of the nurses that supervised the front lawn.

"Tenchi," Carlua stressed the name, finishing her question.

"I am here to deliver something." For the first time, Carlua noticed the shopping bag in Tenchi's hand. He handed it to her. "This is for my partner." She was about to open the bag to look at the content, but Tenchi tapping her lightly on her hand. Carlua quickly closed the bag and glanced around her surrounding. The lawn was quite empty with only a few patients enjoying the morning sun. Tenchi suddenly stopped in his track and pointed at the corner of the lawn. Three young men, with two in a wheelchair and one of them on the grassy lawn, sat there in deep discussion. Their presence remained quite hidden from the public eyes as they retreat closer to the looming trees that almost surrounded them. She immediately recognized them.

"I need you to be my accomplice," Tenchi told her when he slipped his arm away from her and pushed her slightly ahead of him. "He will know what to do." Without another word or bidding, Tenchi left her standing there, staring right at the back of his retreating figure. Clueless and bewilder about what was going on, Carlua finally remembered the newspaper clipping that remained clenched in her hand. She opened her mouth to call out for Tenchi, but quickly shut it when she realized how much attention she would be drawing toward the both of them.

"What does she mean by asking me to be her accomplice," Carlua thought while she headed toward the three men. The bag remained carefully tucked in her arm. "And what does she want with Larva?" She headed closer to the group while she pondered about these question. The closer she headed toward them, the clearer she could see the anger etched on one of the man's face. In fact, he was quite livid about something. She almost dropped the bag and ran away when his fiery gaze landed on her. The boy, whose back was faced toward her, heard her footsteps rustling along the grass, stood up abruptly and faced her. His anxiousness on his face quickly disappeared and relaxed when he saw who it was.

"Carlua," the boy addressed her as he walked awkwardly toward her. His motor skill still needed some improvement before he could return back to normal. He reached for her bag but she pulled it away from his reach.

"Lemunia," she scolded slightly. "You should not be out here in the cold." She dropped the bag, on Larva's lap. She did not noticed the slight grimace that appeared on Larva's face when a sharp pang shot through his leg due to the unexpected load that landed on his lap. Before Larva could snap at her, she turned to him and pointed at the bag. "Your partner told me to give this to you." For some odd reason, which she didn't know, Aoi choked. "She also told me that she wants me to

"She told you to give it to him," Aoi asked her in disbelief. Carlua just nodded her head and silently watched Larva when he took out a piece of paper which was in the bag. Larva glanced at it and handed it to her. To her surprise, the paper only contained the addressed of this hospital and the word "back." What surprised her more were the gray wool scarf that Larva pulled out and some leg warmers. He also pulled out a grey woolen sweater, a ski cap, a brown blanket, and a pair of wool mitten from the bag.

"What does she mean," asked Carlua. "Why is she giving you these clothing?"

Lemunia picked up the jacket and frowned. "This is exactly something a grandfather will use."

Larva smiled. "Old man." Without any further explanation, he started to stuff the clothing back into the bag and scanned the area around him.

"I thought she was nuts, but I didn't think you were," Aoi frowned. "You can't possibly go to her in this condition. This will put you both in danger."

"Go to her? In danger?" Carlua echoed his words. None of this made sense to her and Larva didn't seem to pay any heed to Aoi's warning. He just pointed his finger at her as he spun his wheelchair around.

"Tell me how many people saw you and Mi…I mean, Tenchi walking over here?"

She pointed at the few people that were still left in the lawn. The nurse who was supervising them was currently busy picking up a fallen kid. "They were the only one. Why?"

"In that case, we will circle around to the back of the hospital, going opposite from the direction you came from. The lawn covers the whole hospital, so we won't be seen by the same people when you are coming." He glanced at the wall that surrounded the lawn like a fortress. He wondered will this actually work or not. "Aoi, is anyone looking toward our direction?"

"As for now, no," Aoi replied. "As for now, I don't see any familiar faces that resemble any of the Quarl members that are listed in my file. However…" He pointed at the building. "I can't say for sure that no one is spying at us from the building."

"Then we will just have to risk it." In a hurry, Larva started to move his wheelchair to the back of the hospital before they could stop him. Aoi sighed and quickly followed after him with Carlua and Lemunia following right behind him. By the time they reached to the back of the hospital, Aoi was panting from the exercise. The area was empty for this morning because the nurse, who was responsible for supervising this area, was off on her duty. The inhabitants of the hospital were told to stay clear from this area until a nurse was available. However, the rule was not strictly regulated because of the high sleek wall that surrounded the hospital lawn, preventing the coming and going of visitor and patients. Only one boy seemed to occupy the back lawn when they rounded the corner and headed toward the back of the hospital.

"Tenchi," Larva called out. The boy did not answered and Larva called out to him one more time as they closed in. The boy closed the cell-phone he was talking into and turned around to greet him.

"Hello, old man," said Tenchi as he took Larva by the hand. "How is your leg doing?"

"I would very much like to let you feel the pain I am going through," Larva replied as he held Tenchi's hand. "So…should I be calling you Tenchi from now, my dear little girl? Or should I be calling you Miyu, by now?"

"Has the painkiller affected your brain, my dear Larva? If not, do you think that the name, 'Miyu' could be uttered so openly without causing a commotion?"

"Do not forget, my dear Tenchi. Who is the one who caused me to be in this situation? I am not exactly enjoying the painkillers."

"Can the both of you stop your flirting by now," Aoi mused as he watched them. "We don't have that much time."

"In that case," said Miyu. "I would like to have Carlua fulfill her part of the bargain."

"My part of the bargain? What is that?"

"To be my accomplice, of course." Larva nodded his head and started to pull out the contents from the bag.

"Your accomplice," Carlua repeated in puzzlement. "What do I have to do?" Before she knew it, Miyu started to push her toward the direction they just arrived from.

"I want you to go back to the front of the lawn and observe the nurse. Do not let her come over here until Lemunia gives you the next order. Go." Puzzled about the current predicament, Carlua could only follow Miyu's direction and immediately ran the distance it took for her to arrive to the front lawn. Although the hospital was not exactly the largest hospital in Japan, it was still fairly huge. By the time she arrived to the front of the lawn, she was panting slightly. Instead of running straight out into the open front lawn, she slowed her step when she rounded the corner and stay hidden behind the corner of the hospital. The nurse, who was helping the little boy a while back, was not frantically scanning the area around her. If it weren't for the couple, who stood there asking the nurse for information about their elderly father's condition, she would have actively searched for the missing object she was so impatient to look for.

While Carlua watched the nurse, Lemunia and Aoi helped Larva into the clothing from the bag. When Lemunia tried to help Larva put on the leg warmer, Larva shook his head and pointed at the blanket. Meanwhile, Miyu took off her jacket to reveal a plain pink tank-top under it. Hidden underneath the jacket and rolled up to her waist was a flowery skirt. She quickly unpinned the skirt and pulled it downward to hide her jean. She took out an ivory silk scarf from the pocket of her jacket and draped it over her head before she loosely tied it around her neck. She also took out a shade from her jacket and put it on. After she was finished with her disguise, Miyu walked up to Larva and helped him into his jacket and Lemunia helped finished putting on Larva's ski hat.

"Aoi," Miyu called out his name softly with a cute smile on her face. "Can you do me a favor?" Terror seized Aoi's heart. He could recall, quite clearly, one instance in which she used this tone before. He was thankful he was not the recieving end at that time because the young boy, who befell on this girl's bewitched charm and followed her order when he saw her smile. The young boy almost lost his life because of it! And now…he felt he would rather face Ranka's wrath than to ever heard her speaking to him in that tone.

"What did you want," he asked calmly, trying to hide his fear.

"Can you faint for me, Aoi?" The question puzzled him because he wondered what she meant by asking him that question. "Just answer yes or no," said Miyu.

He wondered which one would be the safer answer. To his surprise, he did a silent prayer before he answered her. "Yes." He waited for her response. Aoi thought he was scared before, but nothing compared to the terror he felt when Miyu smiled in content when she heard his answer. Gracefully, she glided behind him and before he could turn his wheelchair around, she slipped her two arms around his shoulder, bending downward to him. A frown immediately appeared on Larva's face when Miyu whispered softly in Aoi's ear. Aoi could felt her warm breath tickling his ear when she whispered softly in his ear.

"Don't say anything when you wake up." Before he could fully comprehend what her sentence meant, she stood up abruptly and brought her hand down hard on his head. Just when blackness was about to consume him, he could saw the bewilder look on Lemunia's face before he slumped forward on his wheelchair, unconscious. Miyu quickly moved in front of Aoi and pulled him off the wheelchair and laid him gently on the floor.

"What are you…" Lemunia gasped in astonishment but Larva quickly grabbed him and turned him around.

"Go back to the front and bring the nurse here," Larva ordered him. "Tell the nurse that your friend had collapsed out of no reason and bring her here through the route that we arrived from." By that time, Miyu was already behind him and was pushing him toward the direction opposite from where they came from. "Make sure to prevent Aoi from mentioning that he had saw Miyu or me when he wake up." Lemunia nodded his head in confusion and started to run to the front lawn. As he hurried along, Miyu stuffed her jacket into the bag and placed it on Larva's lap. She started to push Larva toward the opposite direction in a semi-run. Rounding the corner from the front, Larva and she waited patiently as they watched Lemunia and Carlua approaching the nurse with a frantic expression. The nurse nodded her head vigorously and headed to the back of the hospital with them in a hurry. With them gone, Miyu calmly pushed Larva out to the front lawn and they strolled leisurely out to the front lawn, passed the front walkway and out of the hospital ground.

---------------------

Twirling her long black hair that was held back by the nurse cap, Lin watched the teenage girl who strolled across the front lawn with a teenage boy in her arm. She recognized who that girl was. In fact, she was one of the targets that Lin was ordered to observe. Her next target happened to be sitting in the front lawn, surrounded by two guys as they discussed something. She wanted so much to approach them and listen to what they were talking about, but she was only ordered to observe them and to make sure that the man did not escape.

"Carlua, was it?" She wondered as the teenage girl bid goodbye to her escort and headed toward the three men that occupied her attention. She watched them with puzzlement until a small child literally fell on her feet. The child grinned up at her and hugged her leg tightly, while she tried to lightly pull him away. By the time she managed to pry the child's arms away from her leg, her targets disappeared from her sight. "Where could they be," thought Lin as she started to head toward the place where her targets were last seen. However, before she could reach there, a couple came walking up to her and pointed at their dear old father. Flustered and annoyed, Lin tried to answer their questions to the best of her ability, and she tried to refer them to another nurse that know their father's condition the best, however they insisted in asking her about their father's condition. As time passed by, the more worried and anxious she became. The Quarl would not look over her mistake lightly. She could not afford to lose her targets. Just when she was about to snap at the couple, one of her target started to run up to her, with a teenage boy following right after her.

"Hurry," panted Lemunia. "My friend collapsed on the backyard of the hospital." Lin wasted no time and dismissed the couple with an offhanded wave. She was finally going to find back her main target. The Quarl will forgive her for losing them for a moment, right? They won't punish her if she found him, right? As she rounded the corner to the backyard, her stomach plunged downward and fear seized her heart. Lying on the floor was Aoi, and her main target was nowhere in sight.

_**Night Time**_

Fastening his loaded gun securely in his holster, Ichiro strapped it tightly on his belt. His light brown jacket lay clumsily on his desk, and he snatched it upward when he hurried out of the department office with Los in the head of the group.

"Remember," Los ordered them when they reached to the ground floor and standing out in the parking lot. "Follow my order of operation and we will have Cait Sith and Gia by the end of tonight. I will no allow any failure. Do you understand?" Ichiro just yawned while the rest of his team-mates screamed out an affirmative answer. "Move out!" Before he knew it, Ichiro found himself stuck in between Lemures and Spartoi's arm as they dragged him toward Ranka's car.

"Don't let her drive," Ichiro gasped when he noticed Ranka was sitting in the driver's seat.

"What is the matter with you," growled Lemures. He dumped Ichiro into the backseat with Spartoi. "We don't have time for you to goof around."

"That is correct," Spartoi agreed. "After we capture Gia and Cait Sith, we can start searching for Larva. And after that, we need to clear up the misunderstanding caused by Miyu."

"I know," Ichiro replied desperately, while snapping his seat beat immediately into place. "But you don't know how Ranka drives!" Lemures and Spartoi were only able to give him a questioning look when Ranka started the engine and stomped on the gas pedal. Their police car shot out of the police station like a speeding bullet and served dangerously when she made a sharp left turn into the road.

"Hang on," Ranka warned them before she pressed even harder on the gas pedal. By this time, Spartoi and Lemures were holding onto the door for their dear lives. Lemures could almost feel his life fluttering by when Ranka took her eyes off the road for a second to search for the button for the siren.

"You can slow down, Ranka," Lemures told her softly when she ran over a red light, almost crashing into a car. Spartoi looked quite pale in the back seat when the car rocked left and right at each lane change Ranka performed. Ichiro lost count of how many cars honked in their direction when he reached up to ten. The other police cars trailed their car for a quite a distance and became farther away when Ranka speed up even more.

"It is alright," Ranka reassured him. "I have full control over the vehicle."

"I don't think my heart can take anymore of this," Spartoi muttered under his breath. Surprisingly, he felt he would rather face the end of a loaded gun barrel with nothing to defend himself from, than to ride in the backseat of a car that Ranka happened to be driving. He wondered how Lemures was faring.

A voice appeared from the speaker com when Ranka swerved toward an empty road and proceeded upward on a mountain road. Los's voice filtered through the intercom when Lemures switched it on. "Who the heck is doing the damn driving? Do you know how much accident you could have caused!" He didn't sound too happy with Ranka's reckless driving at all.

"I am sorry, sir," Ranka apologized. "But I want to go to Gia's living quarter as soon as possible. I do not want to give him any chance to escape."

He growled. "Then close your siren! We do not need to give him extra warning about our coming." With that said, he ended their conversation instantly and Ranka immediately closed the siren. She did not mind closing the siren at all, for it served its purpose already in the busy road. The mountain road remained quite empty, except for the few cars that were climbing the mountain with them as they arrived back to their home. Few houses were located on this mountain, so the road quickly became empty the further they went upward. Ranka could see their destination appearing before them as they rounded a curvature and headed straight for the small little house that sat on the edge of the mountain. Ichiro quickly picked up his phone and dialed a number. No one answered the phone but he knew his intention had notified his receiver of their coming. He just hoped everything would go according to their plan.

-------------------------

"According to Cait Sith's plan," thought Gia as he looked at the leader of the Quarl who sat next to him in the passenger seat. "This house will be safe for the moment. We were to hide here for two days before we could start moving the operation again."

"You've done a good job," Cait Sith complimented Gia after they pulled up to the driveway and got out of their car. "Now that Miyu is gone, we can start focusing on Larva."

"As you said, master," Gia complied. His mouth twitched in a sneer when Cait Sith turned away from him. The young fool did not even know he was a puppet and he was the puppeteer who manipulated him. After this job was done, all he have to do was to kill him off and the real Cait Sith could continued to rule over the organization in the shadow. They would have no use for this boy anymore, and he would like nothing more than to be the one who put the bullet into his head. Gia suppressed his displeasure and smiled nicely to the young boy who opened the door for him. Once he was inside the house, he opened the light to the living room and waited patiently for the young boy to close the door behind him before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. Surprise, anger, and betrayal flashed through the boy's face when he realized the gun was pointed at his direction.

"What are you doing, Gia," Cait Sith demanded, while he stared at the end of the barrel. "Are you trying to betray me?"

"Yes," Gia answered simply. "Actually, I never was your follower. I only follow my real master and my master is name Cait Sith."

"What are you talking about, Gia!" The boy looked flustered and annoyed. "I am Cait Sith! What do you mean about your real master? Have you gone mad? To his surprise, Gia laughed out loud.

"I wasn't supposed to say so much to you, but then again, you will be a rotten corpse so it is no use telling you this." He released the safety on his gun. "But just to let you know, your mother is not the Quarl leader but was just a minor member of the Quarl. Your parents sacrifice their lives so that we can hide the identity of my real master. You…" He grinned when he saw the puzzlement on the boy's face. "You are just a puppet. Here is a parting gift for you, so that you can find your real parent when you go to the underworld. Good night, Kino."

A gun shot blasted through the silent night and Gia staggered backward when a bullet pierced through his right arm. His gun dropped to the floor in a clang. He looked around him and his eyes widen in shock when Miyu stepped out behind the large curtain drapes with a gun in her hand. They boy saw her and took a dive to grab the gun off from the floor. When he pointed the gun at Miyu, she didn't flinch and shift her gun from Gia's direction. Instead, she just stared at him calmly when he was about to pull the trigger. Another gun shot rang in that living room when the boy dropped the gun on the floor, while clutching his injured arm. Larva moved away from the kitchen counter he was hiding from and slowly propelled his wheelchair forward and into the living room. His gun remained pointed at the teenage boy.

"Why are you here," Gia asked in a gasp. The throbbing pain on his arm seek to consume his whole thought.

"And who are you directing this question to," Miyu asked in a playful smile. She did not move from her position, nor did Larva. Anger clouded Gia's face when he realized how she was playing with him. "Oh yes…" Miyu reached into her pocket and pulled out a tape recorder. Gia's eyes widen in surprise. "Your recent conversation proves to be quite interesting. Kino, was it?" Her last question was directed to the boy, who thought he was named Cait Sith. She noticed that Larva had nodded his head in agreement.

"I happen to know a person who goes by that last name," said Larva. "And it fits perfectly with your suspicion, Miyu."

"Your suspicion," Gia asked in wonderment.

"Yes, my suspicion," Miyu answered him. A buzzed could be heard coming from the pocket of her jacket. She ignored her vibrating phone and smiled. "The police will be coming in any moment now."

"The police?" Gia was shocked to hear this. Didn't his master say it would be safe over here? But if so, she wouldn't have found this place in the beginning. But how did she found this place? He asked her that question.

"I have a friend who happened to locate your living quarter. Also…I am not the one who notified your position to the police."

"It was your boss," Larva told him. A smile appeared on Gia's face.

"It is a nice lie that you are putting up," he said calmly and recomposed himself. "If this is your method for making me reveal the name of my master then…"

"Freeze," shouted Ichiro when he kicked the door open. Ranka, Lemures, Spartoi, and Los burst into the room right after him. Least to say, they were shock to see the setting in the room. Miyu quickly lowered her gun and dropped it down on the floor. She did not want to give them an opportunity to shoot her. Ichiro, Ranka, and Lemures quickly surrounded Gia and Spartoi's gun remained trained on Kino. Meanwhile, Larva's anger flew up when he saw Los pointing his gun at Miyu in a menace manner.

"It is a nice surprise for you to drop by Miyu," said Los. "We had suspected that you are part of the Quarl's organization when you pushed detective West down the stair and for killing the suspect Yao."

"I do not deny the accusation," Miyu said cheerfully. "I also abducted Larva from the hospital and knocked down Aoi while I am at it." To Los's surprise, she stuck her hand out toward him. "You can arrest me now." Los seemed to be in a battle with himself when he took out the handcuff and snapped on her wrist. He pushed her to one of the detective. "Take her away." Ichiro quickly handcuffed Gia and Ranka handcuffed Kino.

"Is this Cait Sith," Ichiro asked Larva in a whisper. Larva gave him a puzzling look and nodded his head when Ichiro pointed at Kino.

"What do you think," Larva answered him.

------------------

Ten minutes before Miyu's arrest, Carlua walked into the homicidal department with a file in her hand. An officer walked up to her and asked her for the reason for her presence. "I am looking for Sergeant Satou. I have an important document to give to him." The officer nodded his head and pointed her at the direction to Satou's office. She walked pass the busy office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Satou. He looked up from his desk full of paperwork and leaned back on the chair when Carlua walked in. "What do you want, Miss…"

"My name is not important, but I do have some important information to give to you." She handed him the file. "Only you have the authority to do this." Satou gave her a suspicious look before he opened the file. A frown appeared on his face and it continued to increase at each page he turned over. He finally slammed the file down on the desk and looked at her.

"I expect an explanation," he said. Carlua nodded her head and slowly explained to him about the current situation.

"Larva and the others can explain it more clearly to you. I don't know all of the answer myself." She took out the cell-phone and gave a call to Aoi. "Maybe he could explain it to you."

Satou took the phone from Carlua's hand and talked to Aoi. His face became alarmed, when Aoi told Carlua about Miyu's arrest. "I think it is time that I pay a prisoner a visit." He grabbed his coat and headed toward the door. Carlua followed right after him.

-------------------

Los grinned as he leaned back on his chair. Miyu was finally behind bar and so was Gia. The boy had adamantly claimed that he was not Cait Sith, but according to Larva's evidence and Lemures agreement, that boy was indeed the leader of the organization. With all those things done, it was finally time for the Quarl to close down. Los tapped his desk and stood up.

With the primary leader of the Quarl behind bars, the Quarl's members have basically scattered. The Quarl will soon be a history. "It is not like it matter," Los mused. "When one falls down, another one will rise to take its place." As long as the person who led the organization still existed, then there won't be any problem at all. Lost looked up from his desk when Ichiro knocked on his door. "Come in," he called out to Ichiro and Ichiro walked into the room.

"Sir," Ichiro reported. "Gia has refused to say anything, even till now."

"Is that so," said Los. He nodded his head. "It is alright. We have all the evidence we need to charge him. You can tell the rest of the crew to go home for tonight." Ichiro nodded his head and stepped out of the office room.

A smile appeared on Los's face. It did not surprise him that Gia had decided to keep his silence. "His loyalty to my mother really runs deep," he mused. Deep enough that he would be willing to sacrifice himself to hide his identity. Los stepped out of his office and into the department's office. To his surprise, Ichiro still remained standing closed to his door when he left his office a while ago. Only Ranka, Spartoi, Lemures, along with Ichiro, remained in the office. Somehow, the four of them were spread out in the office, blocking each of the door entrance or exit. Something was obviously wrong, especially when Ichiro took out his gun and pointed it at Los.

"What are you doing, detective Ichiro," Los demanded.

"I knew the leader of the Quarl is a smart person." Surprise registered Los's face when he recognized that person's voice. His guess was affirmed when Miyu stepped into the office, while pushing Larva in front of her. Sergeant Satou was the last person to step in.

"Why are you here," growled Los. He started to pull out his gun but quickly stopped when Ichiro and the others pointed their gun at his direction.

"I released her," said Sergeant Satou. "She is innocent for the crimes that she was accused for."

"What are you talking about, Sergeant Satou? She openly admitted that she is the one who gave Yao the drug. She also admitted that she tried to kill Detective Larva by pushing him down the stair!"

"If I don't do that, then you would have use that opportunity to shoot me, won't you, Los," asked Miyu. "Oh yes, which one do you prefer? Should I call you Los or should I call you Cait Sith?"

Los glared at her in anger but he quickly suppressed his anger and smile at her. He leaned back on a desk and took off his glasses. He calmly spoke to them. "And you meant to tell me that you believe in this nonsense, Sergeant Satou? If so…under what evidence do you have to support your accusation, Detective Miyu?"

"Quite frankly, I wouldn't have any evidence to support my accusation, if it weren't for the confidential file my father copied during the time he was investigating the Quarl ten years ago." Satou placed the file on the desk and stood protectively next to it. "The files contained a detail report about the capturing of the leader of the Quarl and her crimes. It also contained her status and her DNA report." She smiled. "This is the only copy that exists in this world, because the original one that is supposed to be securely safe in the police office is destroyed by your follower, Gia. Ten years ago, when Gia invaded my house and killed my parents, his other objective was to destroy the file my father has copied. However, he wasn't able to find it because the file was in my uncle's possession at that time. If Yui hadn't accidentally slipped the file into her backpack when she went to visit my father, the file would have been destroyed a long time ago."

"The reason why Gia wanted to destroy that file was because of the DNA record that is in the file," Ichiro explained. "If the file was destroyed, even if we did suspect that you are Cait Sith, there won't be any evidence to prove it."

"Aoi checked all of the medical records that contain your mother's information," said Ranka. "All of them were destroyed ten years ago. Everything was done to wipe out any information we can use to prove that you are her son. That way, Gia can successfully give you a new identity, by killing off a couple that have a son that is equivalent to you age and switch your identity with him. You took the identity of Kino Los and the real Kino Los, who did really lose his memory, was taken under Gia's care and was made to believe he is called Cait Sith."

"Continue," Los said calmly.

"Ten years ago, you attacked me," said Miyu. "Gia prevented you from killing me, but you did manage to knock me unconscious. But before I became unconscious, I saw your face and keep it deep in my memory. Ten years later, I saw the same face again. But it was not on the face of the boy who we capture tonight with Gia. It was your face that I recognized when we performed the raid a few weeks ago."

"At that time, Yui had sent me a box full of information that Miyu and her father had collected about the Quarl," Ichiro continued. "Since Miyu and Larva were absent right after the bombing incident, the information was sent to me and remained in my possession. Miyu knew that she was being watched, and she knew someone in the department was working for the Quarl. When she started to suspect you, she ordered me to run a DNA test using your data and compare it with your mother's data. Miyu knew that if she was the one who tried to get the DNA sample from you, it will rouse up your suspicion, so I was sent to do the job." He adjusted his gun. "Your hair sample has proven that you are indeed her son."

Silence filled the room as they waited for Los to respond. The smirk on Los face didn't disappeared. In fact, he started to laugh and clapped his hand in amusement. "I applaud to you all for finding my real identity," he bowed to them. "But even if you can prove that I am Cait Sith, what will that do? I am not the one who killed the couple. You have no right to arrest me, unless…"

"Unless we find evidence to prove that you actually have a connection with the Quarl, am I correct," asked Larva and he tapped the file that lay on top of his lap. "Although phone services never did really let other people know about their clients phone services, but Aoi was able to extract your file from your phone company by telling them you are a prime criminal in the Tokyo police department. You are too over confident about your identification, Cait Sith. We are able to identify some of your phone calls were made to Gia." He flipped through the file. "Evidences coming from the US also revealed you are associated with Gia. A few of your classmates have recognized and able to identify Gia as one of your acquaintance." A twitched on Los's upper lip appeared.

"A fellow officer recognized that you were the one who searched Yao before we made the official arrest," said Miyu when she took one of the reports in Larva's file. "At that time, he didn't think that information was important because of your records and because of Yao's dying message. However, according to this report, you know that the camera in room 103 is broken and you signed a document, issuing a replacement for the camera."

"So…in another hand, you know that the camera in room 103 is broken," murmured Spartoi. "And by sending Miyu to that room, she wouldn't have any alibi to prove that she never did give the package of drug to Yao, because the camera is broken. That is…if Larva wasn't in the room."

"It was luck that Larva didn't remain in the room," said Lemures. "Or else Miyu wouldn't be the only one that was suspended."

"I see. You are accusing me for murdering Yao," Los mused.

"You should know -amongst all of us- we have no evidences that clearly support Yao's death in connection with you," said Miyu.

"Miyu!"

Miyu raised up her hand to silence Ranka. "The Cait Sith I know is a very cunning man. He will not leave any evidence behind to tie him with the Quarl. He knows his card far more better than we can."

"I applaud you Detective Miyu," Los laughed. "Since you know the current predicament, your only option is to let me escape…no, I should not use the word escape. The more accurate wording would be 'walk' or 'stroll' out of this room as a free man."

"But there is no denying that you know Gia," snapped Ichiro. His gun followed Los when he started to head toward the main exit.

"So what if I know him," asked Los and he pointed at Miyu. "I believe you also received calls from him. Does that mean she is also associated with the Quarl?" He shook his head. "You still need some more training boy." He walked up to Miyu and touched her chin. "As for you…I am sorry to say, but you still aren't able to clear up your name. How pitiful it is for you to go to room 103 when you know my true identity, even if I was the one who ordered you to." A smile appeared on Miyu's face when she grabbed his hand and handcuffed him. Satou quickly moved behind Los and pushed both of Los's arms behind him. "What is the meaning of this," Los demanded.

Miyu reached for his belt and pulled out his gun from his holster. "As I suspected, you do have a gun in your belt. If Ranka or the others would have approached you to apprehend you, the percentage of them being at risk of being your hostage would have been high." She gave him a mocking bow. "Thank you so much for coming toward over here, voluntarily."

"Are you going to lock me up for something you have no evidence…"

"We do have evidence," Miyu said flatly. The surprise expression on Los's face was priceless. "If I tell you that we have evidence against you, I do not believe you will lose your guard and walk right straight to us."

"And unfortunate for you," said Larva. "The interrogation did not take place in room 103. Instead Miyu and I took Yao to room 105, the room that was next door to room 103. I was standing outside room 103 just so you can think the interrogation was taking place in that room." He took out a video that was given to him the afternoon of Yao's death. "And this is the actual video that shows the whole interrogation." He fingered the video that he had hidden since that incident. This video was passed between Miyu and him when she took the video from his pocket before he was sent to the hospital. She later returned it back to him before she was captured. All these exchanges were made just so they could prevent the video from falling into the wrong hand.

"Damn it, Larva! If you have the damn video, why didn't you reveal it in the beginning," snapped Lemures. "You got us worried for nothing!"

"Because I do not want to waste all of their hard work," Miyu replied back in a cheerful voice. "They worked so hard to form this trap for me, so it is best that I pretend to fall for it, isn't that right Los?" He did not utter a word.

"You are now under arrest for suspicion with the connection of the Quarl. You have the right to remain silence and the right to call a lawyer," Satou told him. He slowly dragged Los out of the room and into the elevator.

"Do you really have anything against him," asked Ranka.

"No…I don't," said Miyu. She tapped her fingers on the table. With her name cleared from Yao's death and with Larva's testimony about his accident, Satou had sent a report to his superior, asking them to give her back her position.

"Damn," cursed Ichiro, when he slammed his fist on the table. "Is there anything we can do about him? He is going to get out of all those crime scotch free."

"What about Gia," suggest Spartoi.

"That won't do," said Larva. He propelled his wheelchair forward. "Gia won't say anything against his master."

"But Gia is the only one who knows his identity in the Quarl," said Lemures. "Without his help, then we don't have anything against Cait Sith."

"So all we can do right now is to lock him for 48 hours and then he is free," murmured Ranka. She frowned and headed to the door. "Then what are we waiting for. We need to find Satou and get a search warrant for Cait Sith and Gia's house. We can't afford to waste anymore time."

"Oh yeah," Ichiro agreed with enthusiasm. He ran after Ranka with the others following right behind her. "But come to think of it, what should we be looking for?"

"Anything that is related to Quarl," Spartoi told him in a teasing tone. Ichiro scowled and swatted Spartoi's hand away when Spartoi patted him on the head like he was a little child.

"Or anything that is related to Miyu or me," said Larva.

-------------------------

An hour later, Ranka and Ichiro stepped out of her car when they finally pulled up to Los's apartment. After experiencing Ranka's driving in the previous excursion, Lemures and Spartoi decided it would be safer for them if they just drive a vehicle separately. Meanwhile, Miyu playfully dumped him on the back seat of Ranka's car and forbid him to ride the motorcycle with his injured leg. By the end of the ride, he wanted to kill her when she gave him a smile and asked him whether he enjoyed his ride or not.

Taking the key out of her pocket, Ranka opened the door and stepped in. The single living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom were in tidy order. The open kitchen connected to the living room, remained lighted on this isolated house. A Panasonic 32-inch television located at the back wall of the living room became the centerpiece of the living room. A small table located in front of the television was piled with magazine and newspaper. Ranka and Larva started their search there, while Lemures and Spartoi went to the kitchen. Ichiro took over the bathroom, and Miyu went to the bed room.

Miyu flipped open the light switch and looked at the futon that lay on the middle of the room. His computer remained humming when she stepped in. "He must have left in a hurry." She walked up to his futon and turned to the left wall. A stack of books filled the book shelves. Idly, she started to flip through each one of them and placing them on the floor when she was done with them.

Meanwhile, Ranka was searching near the television. She looked at Larva, who happened to be looking over a pile of books. "Out of curiosity," Ranka spoke out. "Did you know Miyu was supposed to push you down the stairs?"

Larva grimaced. "I didn't know or else I would have asked her to think of a more gentle way of incriminating herself."

"Well," Ichiro murmured without knowing as he stepped out of the bathroom. "I did try to warn you."

Larva sharply turned to him and stared at Ichiro. "You tried to warn me." His tone seemed unpleasant, and Ichiro found himself jumping up in a start.

"Did I say something," Ichiro asked in confusion.

"You said you tried to warn me," Larva reminded him. Even Spartoi and Lemures stopped their search and glared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Ahh…." Ichiro laughed nervously. With so many unpleasant eyes looking at him, especially Larva's, he swallowed nervously and wondered was the air condition working properly. He quickly went to the air conditioner and started to fiddle with it. "Well…I didn't really know whether Miyu was going to do anything or not. With Yao's incident, Miyu and I know that the Quarl are trying to find a way to incriminate her and throw her into prison. And well…Miyu didn't really want to get another person involve and since you are her partner, it is also your responsibility to look after her, so if something bad were to happen…"

"It would best to happen to me instead of some innocent bystander, is that what you are trying to say?"

"Uh…something is wrong with the air conditioner," said Ichiro.

"I never realize you like to change the topic when you are stuck," Ranka giggled.

"No. Seriously, there is something wrong with the air conditioner." He pulled against it, but the screws remained bolted to the wall. Ichiro peered into the air conditioner. "I need a flash light. Do anyone…" He jumped slightly when Ranka slapped one into his hand immediately after he requested for one. He flipped the switch open and flashed the light into the air condition. To his surprise, someone had took out the inner core of the air condition and created a hollow core. Stacks of accounting books, piled high in the vacant space, crammed the whole area. In a matter of minute, Spartoi removed the outer rim of the air conditioner. With Lemures supporting the back of the air conditioner, Ranka and Ichiro extracted the books out in a hurry. They spread out the book and immediately started to go over them.

"Miyu," called out Larva. He placed the book on the floor and turned to Miyu when she stepped out of the bed room. "What do you think," he asked her when she walked up to him and stared at the pile of books.

"These books seemed to contain a clear data of the money that was transferred from this account…" Ranka pointed at an account number on the top of the right hand corner. "To this account." She finished by pointing at the account number at the left hand corner. "The amount of money transferred between these two accounts are enormous. This might be an accurate record of the money Los was earning during his association with the Quarl. If we can prove these two accounts belongs to Gia and Los, then we have a valid reason to lock him up."

"I see," Miyu said flatly. "If this search is done on the summer, the hiding place would be even more obvious, don't you think?" With that said she headed back into Los's bedroom and continued with her search.

"What do you think she mean," asked Ichiro.

"This is the winter," Larva explained. "Normal people will not touch the air conditioner. But if the search was conducted during the summer, they will definitely use the air conditioner and discover the books in it."

"So what are you trying to say," asked Spartoi.

"He is trying to say, Los will not put all those account books in such an obvious place," answered Lemures. "Los cannot anticipate when his real identity will be found out."

"So…are you trying to say these books are fake?"

"There is a possibility," said Ranka. "But we will take these with us, just in case they are real."

While they gathered the books together, Miyu slowly sat on Los's computer and started go through each of his files. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. After half an hour later, she finally closed the program and leaned back on the chair. As she leaned back on her chair, she scanned her surrounding. Her feet accidentally kicked the side of the computer table and almost knocked down a stack of empty CD-R. She picked up the stack of CD-R and nicely arranged them. While she was arranging the stack, her eye fell on one of the blank CD-R located next to a music cd. She picked it up and pressed the eject button of the CD-R player. "There is no reason for him to make a copy of a music record that he has, unless he is making a copy for his friend. No use speculating." A smile appeared on her face when the computer's humming increased as it read off the content from the so-called blank disk.

A few minutes later, Larva and the others were called into the room and all of them crowded around the computer. A seemingly harmful stack of blank CD-R in fact included a detail account of the Quarl's transaction for this year and records of the Quarl's business account carefully planned out. Using the official search warrant they received from Satou, Miyu confiscated the CD-R on the table and Ichiro bagged the rest of the accounting books.

_**Two Days Later**_

"I can see you are not enjoying your stay," said Miyu when she opened to door to Larva's room. Ever since the night he made the escapade, Satou immediately ordered Larva to return to the hospital until his leg fully recover. Least to say, Larva did not enjoyed the sympathetic expression Miyu gave him when he was forcefully escorted back to the hospital by Ranka and Lemures. After two days of isolation, with no one to visit him except for the nurses and doctors, his urge to break out of the hospital increased every single day.

"What made you drop by, my dear Miyu." He did not turn from the window. Below his window, Ranka, Ichiro, and Aoi were taking a stroll. Each of them seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Miyu smiled and immediately went to the flower vase. She placed the bouquet of roses into the vase and went to the restroom to gather some water. After the vase was filled with water, she re-entered the room and placed the vase full of flower next to the window. "I see the pain killer is not taking its effect. You are so grumpy." She pouted playfully.

"Your teasing is not well appreciated by me right now," he answered her back coolly.

"Then I think you will be delighted to hear the evidences in the accounting book are indeed false. But with the evidence obtained from the CD-R, we have substantial evidence to prove that Los…or should I say, Cait Sith, is indeed associate with the Quarl."

"Whether I should take delight in hearing that news or not is not your concern."

"My dear Larva," said Miyu. "I am offended. What has happen to you?"

Larva finally looked at her and smiled. A very mocking smile if Miyu had to say so herself. "I guess you do not understand me that well, my dear. I am a very jealous man. I do recall you said that I am your partner. However, in this operation, you left me partially in the dark and asked Ichiro to assist you instead."

"Larva. I didn't keep you in the dark." She sighed when he raised one of his eyebrows. "Maybe I did keep you in the dark, but only for a short moment." His eyebrow did not go down. "Are you going to force me to admit my wrong? I did tell you that I suspected Los's identity. I did give you the video. I did bring you along when I went and confronted Gia."

"And you did trick me into believing that you will confront Gia along, but all the time your main objective was to lure me and push me down the stair."

"I did warn you and try to remind you that we are partners. I also reminded you about our promise and told you not to forget it. It just so happen your brain did not function properly at that time and you missed the clues I so adamantly deliver to you. Maybe, next time, I should make the clues more clearer so you will not miss them."

Larva laughed and shook his head. He could never win against her. "If you made the clues more clearer, then I think Gia would most definitely understand your intention."

"So…you do know that he was sitting near us in the restaurant, do you?"

"No, I didn't. But your question answered my suspicion." He stood up and she quickly reached over and steady him in her arms. "Next time, if you do decide to push me down the stairs or inflict anymore injury to me, can you please do it to my arms instead. Without my legs, it is very inconvenience."

"I have no control over the position of your fall," said Miyu. "If you will use your clutches, your inconvenience will be smaller." She pointed at the pair of clutches that laid next to the sofa Larva was sitting on. Larva smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to steady himself. Maybe, in this other war, he could be tie with her. Maybe.

"I have been thinking, since I was unfortunately given time to rest due to my injury, about something I would like to ask you."

"And why are you suddenly so hesitant, my dear Larva."

"The case is really over." Whatever Miyu expected to hear from Larva, it was not that. She frowned and shook her head.

"Larva…please do not force me to lower my value of you by asking me that simplistic question. I would expect…"

"Do you remember what you said to me after our first case?" He watched her when he saw the startled expression on her face. The constant jumping between topic must be confusing her and from the frown that appeared on her face, she was losing patience with his rambling. "You once told me that love is a futile belief. An illusion." He stared at her, and she seemed to finally understood where he was going. He knew, if he continued on with this conversation, it might end up hurting their partnership. However, he had thought of this for a long time. Since the time she disappeared to the time he held her now, he knew he was willing to take the risk. Maybe her belief will continued to win over his idea…but he hoped the outcome will come out as a mutual tie. "I said I agreed with your thought."

"Do you still agree with it," asked Miyu. He arms remain encircled around his waist, steadying him.

"I still do," he answered her. "But I am losing to that belief, because I have become one of its victims. You asked me why was I hesitant a while ago. I am hesitant because any man would feel hesitant when he tells a girl he is falling into that illusion."

"You are a hypocrite," Miyu criticized him flatly.

"Yes, I am." He continued to stare at Miyu, waiting patiently for her answer. She turned her head away from him and away from his gaze. Her eyes befell on Ichiro, Ranka, and Aoi, who happened to be staring right at them. Ichiro's face seemed to be in shock. The expression on Aoi's face demonstrated he clearly shared Ichiro's feeling. Only Ranka looked up at them with an unreadable expression.

"We have spectators," Miyu told Larva when she turned back to him. He didn't not say anything. "Larva, I am an officer of the Tokyo police department. My duty is to uphold the law." He remained silent. "However, there are times when I needed to bend the law so I can get the evidences I need to incriminate the criminal." A smile started to appear on Larva's face when he understood what she was implying.

"I believe you have broken a few laws before, Miyu. When it is necessary, you do not tend to place the law in the highest value."

"And I presume you haven't," Miyu asked in playful pout. Larva laughed.

"Then lets have a toast to two hypocrites."

"A toast," Miyu asked in wonderment. Larva just smiled at her when he bent downward and kissed her.

Down below, in the front garden, Ranka was glaring at Ichiro when he spit out a mouthful of water when he saw the intimate exchange that happened a few floors above him.

---------------------

Twenty minutes later, when Ranka finally tortured Ichiro long enough, Miyu and Larva finally joined them at the front lawn of the hospital. The nurses at the hospital increased slightly since Larva's unexpected disappearance. Two nurses now roam around the front lawn, keeping a close eye on all of their patients. Lemunia, Carlua, Lemures, and Spartoi also joined them when Spartoi and Lemures finished their visitation to Lemunia and found Larva's room empty. Sitting around in a circle, Lemunia couldn't help but felt like they were in a camp. And for some odd reason, he kept on seeing Ichiro glancing toward Miyu.

"I forgot to thank you, Carlua," said Larva. "If you didn't give Satou the file, we might not be able to release Miyu."

"It was no problem," said Carlua. "The evidence already existed. I was just helping Aoi deliver it to Satou."

"But why Satou," asked Lemunia. "Can't you just give it to another Sergeant?"

"Because Reiha was under his team," Ichiro answered. "And he seems to be the one who will believe us the most because he has always worked with Van. And beside, I think the person you should thank is Aoi. He helped us look up all those information."

"Come to think of it," asked Lemures. "What are you going to do after you get out of the hospital."

"Satou went and visit me yesterday," Aoi told him. "He said that if I am interested in continuing to be a policeman, I can still remain in the drug department. But instead, I will be stuck with all of the paperwork."

"I see," Lemures murmured.

"Hey cheer up," Spartoi comforted him. "Aoi doesn't mind. He is not blaming you. And beside, I have something over here that I think most of you will be interesting in seeing." He took out a letter from his pocket and passed it on to Larva. Puzzled, Larva opened the letter and pulled out a photo and a one page written letter. He stared at the photo for a while before he passed it on to Miyu. As for the letter, he kept it with him.

Miyu's eyes widen a little bit, but she did not uttered any word when she passed it to Ranka. Least to say, their reactions were not what Spartoi expected. When Ranka calmly passed it on to Aoi, he lost all hope when Aoi just passed it on to Ichiro. For the second time, Ranka glared at Ichiro again when he spit out the mouthful of water he was about to swallow.

"My god," Ichiro gasped. "Don't this guy ever die!" His exclamation brought Lemunia and Carlua up to their feet and they crowded around the picture. Lemures had already saw the picture before when Spartoi nosily opened Larva's letter, claiming it might be important, and showed him the picture. Smiling at them, in a nice Armani suit, was a familiar face with a light scar running down his right cheek. Larva flipped open the letter and passed it on to Lemures. Sighing, Lemures read it off.

"Hey guys." Lemures looked at them before he continued. "How have you guys been doing? Me? Let's just say I never expected to be your god-brother, Larva. And I guess that means I don't have to be afraid of you. In fact, I wanted so much to kill you, damn it!" Miyu raised one of her eye brows in surprise. "For god sake, why do I have to be stuck with this boring job! I know that Pazusa was kind enough to give me a new identity, but this is ridiculous! Come on! Why do I have to be the one that is stuck here facing those greedy leaches, while the rest of you have all the fun?"

"I don't think he will enjoy being in my position at this moment," Larva murmured.

"Do you know this job requires a lot of self-constraint," Lemures continued. "With the three gorillas, I wanted nothing more than to knock them out. But with these bloody leaches, I want nothing more than to…" Lemures paused. "At this point he crossed out kill and left it unfinished," Lemures pointed out to them. "Continuing...Sigh….and for a moment there, I thought god is being nice to me by letting me being adopted by a wealthy person. Now I have to run that whole stupid company with all the yapping dogs snipping after my heel. I mean, seriously, they are all out to get the company and put their greedy hand on as much money they can get their hands on. I can't help but feel sorry for Pazusa, because he constantly have to face these guys. And well….now I am stuck at this role. Damn it, if I want to work in an office, I would have stayed at school and get a degree. This is worst than torture. Oh yeah…when are you coming back, Larva? Do you want to exchange your job with me, because I don't know how much of this can I handle." Lemures closed the letter. "And he went on and on about it."

"Hmph…father did him a favor and yet he is ungrateful." Carlua crossed her arms around her and tossed up her head in annoyance.

However, Miyu giggled. "I wouldn't say that is a favor. I know Cain for a long time, and he finds nothing worst than to be stuck in a room where there is even a small pile of paper work. That is why he choose to be a spy instead of an actual detective."

"So…his death was actually fake," asked Ichiro.

"If not, then do you think we took his spirit back and took that picture," asked Spartoi. "Of course it is fake."

"I am not surprise," said Aoi. "After the bombing incident, I think the local official are watching over the ones that happened to cross Gima's path and Cain was one of them. So, I am not surprise that they faked Cain's death and gave him a new identity. I just feel sorry for the girl he was dating at that time."

Silence filled the front lawn, until Larva coughed slightly. "Should I write back to him and tell him that we are enjoying ourselves?"

"He will definitely kill you," Miyu replied.

"I know."

**_Five weeks later_**

"So…what is the final score?"

Ichiro looked at Miyu and she shook her head. "I lost count." She turned to Larva and nudged him slightly. "Do you know?"

"The last time I remembered, I was leading." Larva leaned back on his chair and quickly scooted back inward when his chair hit the corner of another desk.

"We surely need to move to another office," said Ranka when she sat on Miyu's desk. She scanned the maze that still remained unclear since the first time they moved in there. "And we need another leader too."

"Satou seemed to be doing fine," said Aoi. It was his first day back to the office and he was not enjoying it. With this maze, he had quite a difficult time trying to maneuver toward his desk, which was located right in the middle of the maze. Ichiro finally gave up his desk, when Ranka glared at him. However, Larva still have to carried Aoi over three desk top before they managed to reach to Ichiro's desk.

"He is stressed out," said Ichiro. "I can see the dark circles under his eyes."

"Who is stressed out," demanded Satou. His commanding voice came out more like a groan when his leg hit the leg of a desk. He dropped a file on Larva's desk and stood there for a moment when Ichiro started to stutter his apologies.

When Satou left them, Miyu giggled slightly and took the file from Larva's desk. "Since we lost count, Larva, don't you think it is time that we start counting again?" She grabbed her coat and started to head out to the exit.

"I think that would be a good idea," said Larva. He waved good-bye to Ichiro and headed straight after Miyu. Before he caught up with her, his eyes landed on the two empty desks that once belong to Lemures and Spartoi. With them back at LA and with Lemunia and Carlua returning with them, the office sure have gotten more quiet. Ichiro even felt like visiting them once when he had time.

By the time he caught up with Miyu, she was waiting for him and holding the elevator door open for him. Once they are in there, he leaned back on the rail and looked at her. She smiled at him.

"Are you going to tell me whenever there is a case," asked Miyu. Larva stared at her for a moment before he answered her back.

"Nope, only this time," he answered her and touched her on the cheek. "Think of it as a gift from a life-time partner."

She giggled and took his hand. "Thank you."

**The End**


End file.
